14/1/2010 - International children's and orphans' charities working in Haiti have warned that the number of orphans will likely rise as a result of the deaths caused by Tuesday's earthquake.
It is with a sombre sort of certainty that humanitarian workers expect the number of orphaned children in Haiti to increase as a consequence of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Tuesday, doing especial damage to Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital.
It is feared that the death toll from the quake could surpass 100 000. Thus far, the Red Cross estimates that about 50 000 have been confirmed dead. The deaths of parents can lead to the collapse of families, forcing elder children or grandmothers to become the heads of households. Such households will, in turn, become some of the most impoverished, finding it difficult to achieve self-sufficiency. Moreover, many children have been separated from their parents; they are, at present, just as vulnerable as children whose parents have died.
The most recent available data shows that the number of orphans in Haiti is already sitting at 380 000, according to statistics collected by UNICEF. Generally, orphans face more severe difficulties in accessing health services and may be less able to attend school without the adequate care and protection from the child slavery and servitude that often become the fate for children without parental care in Haiti.
Consider that of the 10 million residents of Haiti, over 50% are under the age of 18, many of them living in families with insufficient incomes. The needs are great, spurring many Canadian and international charities to run homes for children without parental care in Haiti.
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