S.O.S Operation Espoir, INC
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"The real way to help the needy lies in discernment. You need to be able to discern the root of the problem. Most Haitians live on $ 2.00 per day. Altena.
While the main problem with the poor and needy involves lack of money, you need to help determine what is causing the lack of money." S.O.S Operation Espoir, Inc
BACKGROUND
The community of Baden is located in the Artibonite region of Haiti and it is the seventh of eight rural villages of Gros-Morne (Gonaives) which is the main town that has 8 rural villages on its responsibility. It is also loc
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S.O.S Operation Espoir, Inc
BACKGROUND
The community of Baden is located in the Artibonite region of Haiti and it is the seventh of eight rural villages of Gros-Morne (Gonaives) which is the main town that has 8 rural villages on its responsibility. It is also located at 25 miles from the city of Independence which is Gonaives and Baden is located at 15 miles from Gros-Morne. The impoverished people of the village of Baden must walk miles daily roundtrip to obtain clean water. The water came from contaminated rivers which approximately thousands community members from different sectors (Gros-Morne, Tache, La Visite, Moulin...etc) share with almost 5,000.00 from these neighboring villagers. Haiti is considered as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere that was hit by the January 12, 2010, 7.0, Magnitude Earthquake, was the worst quake in two centuries. 80% of the population is living below poverty level in the Human Development index and 54 % are in abject poverty. Most Haitians live on $ 2.00 per day. The Baden villagers used to survive with sugar cane production that is destroyed by several factors that cause the poverty level in under rise. They currently rely on mangos that are seasonal. They are living in less than $ 1.00 for family of 5 and the children’s birth is rampant and the majority of children have never received any of immunizations. The villagers, adult, elderly and children have to cross two huge rivers (three Rivers of Artibonite region and the Moulin River to come to Gros-Morne, the main town to seek medical care, to attend school and other related activities. The rivers crossing are not usually accessible for the children especially during the raining season. Therefore, they stay in the village without proper education, medical care and other basic needs that keep them from reaching their potential. They are in desperate need of clean water, latrine, nutrition, access to school, and medical care to meet their daily needs of the village’s family and the children.
NEED
Baden, a rural village of approximately 5,000 residents itself is in need of a consistent and steady supply of drinking water. The river is contaminated with human and animal waste, and is also used for bathing and washing clothes. The villagers dig superficial hole near the rivers and surroundings areas to cover their f***s. The result is that the rampant spread of water-borne disease is adversely impacting the Health of the Baden community, including children, teenagers and adults, which prevent many from attending school and receiving medical care.
The Baden families live in small pre-fab shacks, tents and makeshift shelters. Cooking is done traditional way between three solid rocks and dried branches and access to clean water is quite limited leading to an epidemic of cholera and other disease in the region.
Baden has no reliable source to potable water. The residents of Baden and its surroundings must share untreated sources contaminated source with thousands of residents and walk long distance. No efforts have been made in the past to provide the basic necessity to his community. The people of Baden use the three Artibonite Rivers or the Moulin River to cook, to drink, to bath and to wash their clothes and to bath their cattle and their domestic pets. The risk of contracting water borne diseases from the contaminated water due to animal and human waste is high. The villagers are not educated to prevent their children from being sick. Most ended up to voodoo priest seeking help believing that they are spells instead of seeking medical care outside of the village. The Baden community is desperate need of a reliable, clean and safe potable water supply to break the never-ending unsafe drinking water causing cholera, skin disease, diarrhea and other related sickness.
S.O.S Operation Espoir Inc, a small non-profit organization based in Worcester Massachusetts established with a goal of assisting and improving the quality of life of Haitian in the remote village of Baden, one of the 7eme rural section of Gros-Morne Gonaives. My name is Ketelie A. Altena. I am a licensed Social Worker, native Haitian and I am the president of S.O.S Operation Espoir Inc. I was raised near the village surrounding Baden, Gros-Morne and have a long standing commitment to those who are living there. S.O.S Operation Espoir, established in 2009, is 501© 3 registered with the state of Massachusetts. S.O.S Operation Espoir is a small organization with about 300 hundred contributing members. This organization is operated by entirely by volunteers and donors. To date, we have an average operating budget for 60,000.00, 95% of which is sent directly on distribution of food and clothing and basic medical supplies to the people of Baden (Haiti).
S.O.S Operation Espoir has a long term commitment with the village of Baden in Haiti.
The primary goal and mission of S.O.S Operation Espoir is to meet the basic needs of the people of Baden in Haiti and to improve the equality of life of the children living there.
S.O.S Operation Espoir concentrates its works in three areas:
Access to clean water and food
Access to medical care
Access to basic education for the children.
S.O.S Operation Espoir has a goal of securing a water filtration or working to ensure that a well is dug in the village, which is essential to fighting the disease as is oral hydration and tainted water contributes to the spreading of illness. Providing food to the children and their families is very important as they barely can afford a meal at the end of the day.
S.O.S Operation Espoir collects and ships basic medical supplies to the people of Baden and has provided education on hygiene and health. S.O.S Operation has a long term goal of providing and equipping basic clinic a Baden where medical professional could provide care to the village of 5,000 people on a regular basis.
It is S.O.S Operation Espoir mission to build a relationship and meet the needs of the Baden families through sustainable and reliable engineering methods.
S.O.S Operation Espoir is actively fundraising to complete this project. Donations will be solicited from individuals and future support will be sought from other Philanthropy Agencies and from local government agencies. To this end, S.O.S Operation Espoir began construction on a building which could function a multi-purpose community center for the village. It would provide shelter space a clinic and a shelter space for the community.
S.O.S Operation Espoir believes that children should receive a basic education. In Baden 75% of children are left home because of the poverty level. Also, the %25 takes the risk to cross two huge rivers with their parents to navigate 15 miles of difficult terrain to the main city, which is Gros-Morne to seek education no matter their age level. During the rain seasons, they stay home.
S.O.S Operation Espoir has recruited teachers and is currently collecting educational materials. S.O.S Operation Espoir hopes to establish in the community center that would function as a school for the village.
S.O.S Operation has an active board member. It will provide a financial statement and will carry on its activities with the higher standard. S.O.S Operation maintains confidentialities of all information about donors. It will respect the privacy of the beneficiaries. It will adhere to a written code of ethical fundraising
S.O.S Operation Espoir’s children at Baden in Haiti are facing challenges and obstacles imposed on them by a number of historical, social and political sources. Economic factors also affect their physical and spiritual lives to such a degree that lack of bread and knowledge can determine of their future.
In order to become productive and contributing citizens, the children need support and assistance in order to break the cycle of misery and poverty inherited from previous generations. S.O.S Operation Espoir is providing needed services to the children and their families.
OBJECTIVES
1) To break the cycle of illiteracy, disease, premature death, and poverty that has plagued poor children and their families in the Baden community in Haiti for a long period of time by providing preventative and creative solutions.
2) To teach the Baden's children in Haiti foundations principles, which will motivate them to be responsible citizens?
3) To encourage the Baden's children in Haiti and their families to be creative and productive, challenging and enhancing inherent abilities in order to empower and build up their communities.
4) S.O.S Operation Espoir will promote methods and programs, which will encourage family cohesiveness keeping the family as a unit.
5) To seek exponential effects, one child and family becoming productive will motivate other to follow their example. Families who are self-supporting will no longer be a burden to their society.
BENEFITS
By insuring clean and safe drinking water, nutritious meals, educational, social assistance and medical care, the Baden children and their families will be motivated to reach beyond obstacles to a hope-field direction. Their better standard of living will provide a solid foundation for their future.
Your grant to S.O.S Operation Espoir will support the literacy efforts, the medical care, to provide the families of Baden Village and their children with sustainable access to basics such as nutritious food, clean water, latrine, health care and basic education.
INCOME------------------------------------FY 2011
Memberships--------------------------------------------------------------$ 10,000
Individual donors----------------------------------------------------------$ 5,000
Fundraising-----------------------------------------------------------------$ 1,000
Grants------------------------------------------------------------------------$ 20,000
Total--------------------------------------------------------------------------$ 36,000
BUDGET
Personnel
Labor/Construction-----------------------------------------------------------$ 15,000
Food-------------------------------------------------------------------------------$ 10,000
Clothing---------------------------------------------------------------------------$ 5,000
Medical Supplies and Medical Care----------------------------------------$ 4,000
Shipping &Postage----------------------------------------------------------- -- $ 3,000
Travel & Accommodations----------------------------------------------------$ 1,500
Telephone (International calls) ----------------------------------------------$ 1,000
S.O.S Operation Espoir will maintain regular contact with the Haitian coordinator and will work closely with Haitian education school, parents and the elderly in the community of Baden in Haiti.
Thank you for being part of the transformation team at Baden Haiti
Ketelie A. Altena
S.O.S Operation Espoir
2 Vg’s Way
Worcester, MA 01604
(508) 250-7379
Location
Contact the business
Telephone
Website
Address
PO Box 3402
Worcester, MA
01613
General information
S.O.S Operation Espoir’s children at Baden in Haiti are facing challenges and obstacles imposed on them by a number of historical, social and political sources. Economic factors also affect their physical and spiritual lives to such a degree that lack of bread and knowledge can determine of their future.
In order to become productive and contributing citizens, the children need support and assistance in order to break the cycle of misery and poverty inherited from previous generations. S.O.S Operation Espoir is providing needed services to the children and their families.
By insuring educational, social assistance and medical care, the Baden children and their families will be motivated to reach beyond obstacles to a hope-field direction. Their better standard of living will provide a solid foundation for their future.
GOALS
1) To break the cycle of illiteracy, disease, premature death, and poverty that has plagued poor children and their families in the Baden community in Haiti for a long period of time by providing preventative and creative solutions.
2) To teach the Baden's children in Haiti foundations principles, which will motivate them to be responsible citizens?
3) To encourage the Baden's children in Haiti and their families to be creative and productive, challenging and enhancing inherent abilities in order to empower and build up their communities.
4) S.O.S Operation Espoir will promote methods and programs, which will encourage family cohesiveness keeping the family as a unit.
5) To seek exponential effects, one child and family becoming productive will motivate other to follow their example. Families who are self-supporting will no longer be a burden to their society.
OBJECTIVES
1) Provide children of Baden community in Haiti with school scholarship, uniforms, books, supplies to enable them to attend school uninhibited by worry and shame.
2) Provide children with supplementary literacy program and structured activities.
3) Provide parents with vocational training to earn or enhance family income.
4) Provide a nutritional program, clean water, and medical care.
5) Provide transportation
6) Provide a safe home and social environment.
7) Provide good nutrition meals on a daily basis.
8) Provide simple, safe, strategic, and sustainable clean water solutions to the Baden community are launching a noble initiative in Haiti. It aims at teaching the people there to purify their water so they can reduce such water borne diseases in the future.
9) Provide medical assistance to the children and their families.
NEEDS
1) Children living in Baden experience seemingly impossible obstacles trying to achieve an education. Often the price of a school uniform or a book will inhibit a child or squelch his desire to attend school. Parents who cannot afford the "luxury" of spending hard-earned penny on the education of a family member.
2) Children living in Baden community who have not achieved basic literacy will be forced into a life of substandard conditions which will lead to serious illness, or worse social problems. Occasional, sporadic, piece -meal remedies will demean and dull incentive, which underscore perceived hopelessness and helplessness.
3) Children living in Baden have never received immunizations and the children are subject of all diseases. Parents do not have income to provide medical care to their children, proper nutrition, clean water, safe living conditions and all related services, the family breaks under the financial strain, causing abuses and degeneration health. This grows exponentially, affecting the infrastructures of society in general.
4) The Haitian government, which spends money to pay for plugging the aftermath of economic disaster, can not give attention to reversing the situation.
5) Children in Baden community are living at the edge of starvation. Lack of proper nutrition and vitamins has a detrimental effect on their physical and mental development.
6) Baden children have been forced to draw their drinking water from surface sources or contaminated shallow wells after the earthquake. These same sources are used by cattle and other livestock and for bathing, washing clothes and other domestic uses. For many households water treatment methods like boiling, filtration or chlorination are too expensive, complex or simply unrealistic with Haiti’s failed infrastructure for daily use. These circumstances led to the outbreak of cholera over there. Contaminated water is the source of parasites and infection especially with the Cholera that has been causing already many deaths among these children. If there is no access to even simple medical care, many more of these children will suffer from conditions which could have been prevented.
7) Most often, the major obstacle for the Baden children in Haiti and their families is inaccessibility to needed services. Lack of transportation prevents families from having simple necessities, posing needless difficulties.
8) Children living in Baden experience a variety of living conditions, which range from two-room shanties with dirt floors to concrete buildings with several bedrooms and solid floors. Families are normally large, so crowded conditions are normal. Occasionally, there is a lack of sanitation, latrines, proper waste disposal which opens the children to opportunistic infections. Children who are struggling against of their physical environment cannot or (will not) be able to devote energy to positive, creative projects that would help them out of their situations. Parents who are working to provide income are normally unavailable to the children for physical and emotional needs. There is little or no energy to nurture and encourage the children.
BENEFITS
A child living in Baden without intervention will remain illiterate. In less then ten years, this child will perpetuate an already vicious cycle that has debilitated several generations.
With compassionate, understanding assistance, this child will break free of the cycle of poverty and become a role model, earning a good wage and work professionally to encourage people in their communities.
This program, if implemented successfully, offers the best odds to reverse the cycle of poverty, diseases, illiteracy and death. There has been no support in that community.
Result will be exponentially positive. Nuclear and extended families that are educated, nurtured and encouraged will remain together, forming an unshakable bond. This bond serves as a foundation for future generations.
People that are given skills to provide for their own support will no longer need to depend on others.
Ketelie A. Altena
President
S.O.S Operation Espoir, INC
PO Box 3402
Worcester, MA 01613
Free Tax Exempt under 501(c)3 (read less)
Opening Hours
| Monday | 6am - 8am |
| 6pm - 10pm | |
| Tuesday | 6am - 8am |
| 6pm - 10pm | |
| Wednesday | 6am - 8am |
| 6pm - 10pm | |
| Thursday | 6am - 8am |
| 6pm - 10pm | |
| Friday | 6am - 8am |
| 6pm - 10pm | |
| Saturday | 6am - 8am |
| 6pm - 10pm | |
| Sunday | 6am - 8am |
| 6pm - 10pm |