On January 12, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the country of Haiti. Lives were lost, families separated and children orphaned – the country would never be the same. Before the earthquake, UNICEF estimated that there were 380,000 orphans in Haiti (Ravitz). Post-earthquake, however, close to 1.5 million children and 3 million people of the total population were thought to be affected by the quake (UNICEF). The earthquake not only affected the country’s already low economy, but put the country into mayhem. The Haiti government could not receive enough reparation funds, and money they did receive was not spent wisely. Orphans still remain on the roads of Haiti, but an increase of orphanages across the country has begun to make a change for the orphans of Haiti. …show more content…
Jim Morrell stated that money donated from external sources has gone directly to government officials and friends of the government. These actions have slowly widened the gap between the rich and impoverished majority in Haiti (Hanes). There are currently 30,000 children living in orphanages in Haiti. However, close to 80% of those kids have at least one living parent (McMutrie). Why are these kids in orphanages when they have parents? Sadly, most of those parents would love to care for their kids, but because of their environment, they cannot afford to provide for their children. Many kids in the orphanages were brought there by their parents themselves. By creating and providing jobs for the Haitian people, parents would be able to earn money, buy food and water, and eventually reclaim their