The island nation of Haiti, the poorest and most vulnerable nation in the Western Hemisphere, was mercilessly battered by four successive hurricanes in September 2008 and then ferociously shattered by a catastrophic earthquake in January 2010. A place where children learn that crying does no good and survival is the daily goal, Haiti’s suffering has now deepened beyond what can be imagined. Their cries for help can now be heard around the world, but we must make sure they can be heard for many years to come. This shattered country is a test of our own humanity and our call to action.
Operation Hope for Haiti in partnership with World Vision will be focused on uniting the community of South Florida to maintain a sustained response to relief and recovery efforts. We believe that as Haiti’s closest American neighbor, we have a moral obligation to keep Haiti on the national and international radar screen long after the media stops covering the tragic story. We must be the voice of the voiceless and help our neighbors receive the long-term support they will need to build a new life.
OHH will support World Vision’s humanitarian relief and long-term recovery programs with a particular focus on children and families left homeless. We will unite organizations and people of South Florida to remain engaged and committed to helping our neighbors in Haiti.
Center of Hope
It has been just one year since the January 12 earthquake devastated the lives of more than 3 million—one in three Haitians. Today, rubble still covers the city of Port au Prince, and hundreds of thousands still live in temporary shelter and want for basic necessities. More than 750,000 people have been displaced, many of them fleeing the destruction of Port au Prince for the countryside.
One of these regions is the rural area of the Central Plateau including the city of Hinche, where many of these displaced families are living with friends and relatives. Sadly, a majority of host homes are impoverished placing an even greater burden on families struggling for survival. Recognizing the great need to provide a coordinating space/platform to enable the delivery of life-changing support programs in this and other key rural areas, World Vision is moving forward with the development of a Center of Hope, which would be replicable in other parts of Haiti.
The Center of Hope will serve as a community hub offering programs aimed at improving education, income and community capacity for self-reliance. The Center will also serve as a bridge to expertise and engagement from the outside world. It will be a multi-faceted training, sports and meeting complex housing classrooms, an auditorium, early child development center, offices, art studio, library, computer area, soccer field, basketball court, volleyball court and fitness area. Dormitories will be built to provide housing for groups from the United States and elsewhere that come to provide short-term training and support in a wide variety of areas such as: teacher training, vocational and technical skills, business development, and financial literacy.
The Center of Hope is a five-year, multi-million dollar investment, which includes construction and operation costs, designed to connect the people of this rural community with life-changing training and support. From the onset, it is set to be a sustainable effort that at the end of the term will be turned over to and managed by the community. World Vision is supported in the development of the Hinche Center of Hope by Miami's Operation Hope for Haiti, Miami Dade College, Miami Dade County Public School District, Pearson Publishing Foundation, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Yale University School of Agro- forestry and a growing number of partners.
