How do you decide what to do when there are so many needs?
This is a common question we see asked of people and organizations who are tackling big problems in places where the needs are great.
So how does Second Mile Haiti answer this question?
With four simple pillars that ground us and focus our approach, that’s how!
1: Meet the Immediate Needs
We believe that you can't thrive when you are fighting to survive. Your support helps us meet the immediate needs of children suffering from Extreme Undernutrition with food and medical care and social and emotional support for their siblings and parents.
Fabiola—held by her mother (above)—is a child who is currently undergoing treatment for Severe Acute Malnutrition. We are meeting all of her immediate needs (nutrition, medication, and medical care) as well as the immediate needs of her caregiver (food, money to cover transportation to and from the center, and medical expenses).
This significantly raises Fabiola’s chances of a full recovery and a future that is free from severe malnutrition.
Even our community projects help to meet the immediate needs of community members.
Once, we hosted a soccer tournament for youth in the community. We did so because the year had been full of collective trauma—and we knew the mental health of local teenagers had to be suffering.
That same year, when an earthquake hit the south of Haiti, we rallied our in-country partners and were able to deliver 7,500 lbs of emergency medical supplies (enough to fill 4 small planes) to the affected areas.
These supplies were all purchased from local pharmacies and businesses in Haiti. They reached hospitals and emergency workers in the affected area just 5 days after the earthquake hit and long before the major NGOs arrived on the scene.
2: Invest in Families
This one’s crucial.
We believe that children belong in families, not orphanages.
We work with families to increase their capacity to care for themselves and each other. We help every family we work with find new ways to generate income: through business, agriculture, and farming.
Right now, the parents of 45 former graduates of our Malnutrition Treatment Centers and 234 of their neighbors are actively growing vegetables at home with the support of our Garden team.
Their gardens are in various states between “just getting started” and “fully flourishing.” The picture below captures Marie, just before she transplants her seedlings into raised beds.
3: Invest in Communities
This one is VERY crucial.
We believe that everyone deserves quality healthcare, a chance to learn, and a place to feel safe. That said we don’t do anything without the support and collaboration of the communities around us.
We conduct Needs Assessments, work with community leaders, and hold focus groups to learn more about the goals and needs of specific groups.
And even when we have an idea that might be good for Second Mile Haiti, if it could hurt the community in anyway, it’s a no-go.
Your partnership facilitates community-wide access to maternity care, family planning, and safe birth and makes community projects possible—projects like the ones that bring light and clean water.
Above: Celebrating the Installation of a Water Filtration System outside our Family Center in Saint-Raphaël
Right now, we are installing a few concrete benches and solar street lamps along the main road where pregnant women walk and wait for Tap-Taps.
Local leaders and residents helped us decide where these four benches and street lamps would be placed.
Community members helped with the installation and when skilled-professionals were needed, they were hired them locally.
4: Invest in Haiti
Ok, this one is the MOST crucial of all!
Second Mile Haiti is intentional about where we spend the donations we receive. We get behind Haitian-led solutions, partner with Haitian professionals (like Midwives, Nurses, & Psychologists), and create programs that honor Haiti's powerful history and present-day context. Besides our co-founders [who live in Haiti], 100% of our team is Haitian.
We believe in Haiti.
We don’t have an office in the United States, or any employees living there, so 100% of your contribution makes it way into the communities where we work.
On behalf of our team and all of the families and individuals we serve, we hope that these updates make you smile. ✍️
❤️ from Haiti