Change for Haiti

Haiti: An Introduction Haiti is a country that takes up the western end of Hispaniola, an island in the Caribbean Sea, near Cuba and the Bahamas Haiti, which became an independent nation in 1804, is home to 9.2 million people

Haiti Is the Poorest Country In the Western Hemisphere 80 out of every 1,000 newborn Haitian children die before their first birthday 54% of Haitians live on less than $1 per day 78% live on less than $2 per day More than two-thirds of workers do not have regular jobs with steady paychecks Most people in the capital, Port-au-Prince, do not have access to tap water 38% of Haitian adults are not able to read or write Sources: http://www.haitipartners.org; http://www.dec.org.uk/haiti-earthquake-facts-and-figures

A January 2010 Earthquake Devastated Haiti 220,000 people were killed 300,000 people were hurt 180,000 homes were damaged 1.5 million people were left homeless 4,000 schools were damaged or destroyed Source: http://www.dec.org.uk/haiti-earthquake-facts-and-figures

The People of Haiti Face Many Health Challenges Following the earthquake, 216,000 people were infected with cholera, a life-threatening intestinal disorder, and 4,000 died of the disease Even before the earthquake, many Haitian suffered from serious infectious diseases, including typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria, and leptospirosis Half of Haitian children under age 5 have malnutrition Most Haitians do not have easy access to a doctor Sources: http://www.haitipartners.org; http://www.dec.org.uk/haiti-earthquake-facts-and-figures; The CIA World Factbook 2011.

One of the Greatest Health Problems is Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) 1 in 4 people in Haiti is infected with lymphatic filariasis (LF), a parasitic disease caused by microscopic-sized worms and spread from one person to another by mosquito bite By inhabiting the human lymph system, the LF parasite can cause terrible swelling, resulting in pain, disfigurement, and inability to work Many people with LF are shunned by their relatives and neighbors Sources: http://haiti.nd.edu/program-history/; http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lymphaticfilariasis/

The Good News: The Fighting Irish Are Fighting for the People of Haiti Father Tom Streit, CSC, PhD, a biology professor at Notre Dame, is leading an effort to wipe out LF by giving as many Haitians as possible two drugs – diethycarbamazine (DEC) and albendazole – which kill the parasites, and fortified salt, which makes the drugs more effective In 2010/2011, the Notre Dame Haiti Program, in collaboration with its partners, achieved island-wide coverage of the entire eligible population for the first time To wipe out the disease, however, repeat drug treatment each year for many years is necessary Sources: http://haiti.nd.edu/program-history/; http://haiti.nd.edu/activities/; http://haiti.nd.edu/

How You Can Help Notre Dame In the Fight Against LF This Lent Father Streit and Notre Dame’s Haiti Program need funds to educate the Haitian people about the disease, support production of fortified salt, and administer treatments Schools and their students can help by raising funds through many types of projects A free-throw contest, or volleyball or dodge ball tournament A “Color Day,” where contributors can wear their own clothes instead of uniforms on a certain day Contests to see which class in the school can collect the most change Student Council bake sales or other activities in which the funds raised are donated to Notre Dame’s Haiti Program This is a great opportunity for students who need service hours Any amount helps; please conduct a program to help Father Streit and the people of Haiti

Giving Your Change To Notre Dame’s Haiti Program Please send the money you raise directly to: The Notre Dame Haiti Program 305 Brownson Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 Attention: Diana Green For more information on the Notre Dame Haiti Program, please visit: http://haiti.nd.edu/ Thank you for anything you can do to help with this important project and for contributing to “Change for Haiti”

Support Change for Haiti, and Help Notre Dame Defeat LF Thank You!