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| For more on Sustain Haiti, please visit sustain-haiti.org. |
On 12 January 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale devastated the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. In the weeks that followed, there were hundreds of aftershocks. Some 230,000 people were killed, many more were injured, and a million people became homeless.
As images of the January destruction were broadcast to the world, a group of social entrepreneurs, students, and concerned citizens felt compelled to help.
Their goals catalyzed into action, forming an organization called Sustain Haiti, a humanitarian movement that trains and sends 30–50 students and like-minded individuals to work in Haiti each summer. Sustain Haiti seeks to measurably improve Haitian lives by providing education and materials that effectively meet local needs.
The 2010 earthquake was soon seen as one of the worst natural disasters in world history. Its effects are still staggering a year later. Thousands of orphans try to survive, families are broken, squatters huddle under plastic tarps, the streets are full of rubble, and many large aid organizations have moved on elsewhere. In contrast, Sustain Haiti has stayed and hopes to expand its efforts for years to come.
Sustain Haiti not a large aid or government organization with millions of dollars to be distributed using top-down methods. Rather, it is a small and nimble NGO that works from the bottom up. Instead of claiming to be educated experts who tell Haitians what to do, SH partners with local Haitians to seek solutions to social problems. Together, they strive to find innovative methods of alleviating human suffering and helping Haitian families grow toward economic self-reliance.
For tax and support purposes, Sustain Haiti is currently partnered with Reach the Children, a proactive non-profit organization. It is in the process of obtaining 501(c)3 status and will soon be an independent registered non-profit.
