Time to Shelter the Forgotten

Time to Shelter the Forgotten

By: Adam Yoshida

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Three years ago, a tragedy occurred  when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti marking history and making headlines around the globe.  Destroying 280,000 residences and buildings, the unexpected disaster killed hundreds of thousands of people, and left millions homeless.  Although aid from various countries came pouring in that year, today, in 2013, countless people have forgot about the earthquake even taking place.  It is amazing how people living in the current, fast moving world are able to forget about major catastrophes such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.  The donations that year helped Haiti tremendously by rebuilding numerous homes, delivering food, and saving lives.  Despite all the heartwarming and brilliant stories we saw in the news the following months, the average person is not aware that the issues facing Haiti are not even close to being resolved.  As of today (2013), 80% of people living in Haiti are living in poverty; meaning lack of shelter, food, and money.  With our overwhelming day to day lives, it is easy to forget the the importance of helping people that are less fortunate than us; so I invite you to support my project to shelter the forgotten people of Haiti. By helping to fund this project, you will assist my team set up and operate one hundred separate temporary shelters in Port-au-Prince (capitol).  Each shelter will offer ten beds to homeless people, creating a place to refuge and an opportunity for individuals to re-access and change their current living state (ie., not having to worry about finding a safe place to sleep can open a window of opportunity to find a job).  Even though this project can be seen as making a minuet difference top a much larger issue, it sends a message to the people in Haiti saying that we will not forget about them and that there is still hope.  Not to mention, it will remind people that we should not forget about what happened and that major disasters like the earthquake in 2010 will take years to repair.

The Shelter



Within Port-au-Prince, our goal is to set up 100 individual shelters in and around the town.  The Shelter-logic 18 x 30 canopy tent will create a large, warm, waterproof, safe shelter. Within each tent, 10 separate sleeping bags and sleeping mats will create beds for users to sleep in.  In addition, volunteers will travel to Haiti to set up and maintain each tent for a set amount of time.




Critical Need

After the earthquake in 2010, 1.5 million people in Haiti were left homeless, jobless, and without money.  Despite the billions of dollars donated from all around the world, today, three years later, Haiti continuous to struggle as poverty rates still fly above the average at a unimaginable 80% of people living in poverty.  Many people seem to believe that poverty rates in Haiti have dropped because of the fake illusion created by the media.  It is true that the donations helped Haiti rebuild as a nation, building schools, delivering medicine, search and rescues;  but the rates are still high and a change still has to be made.  Projects similar to this will raise awareness that a positive recovery from a tragedy like the earthquake will take more than a couple months of help.


Global Impact

This project will help raise awareness that poverty is an ongoing issue in Haiti and did not get resolved with the short term fix they got.  Setting up shelters will show the people of Haiti that we have not given up on them and it will give them hope that things can still change. Also, the people who fund this mission will understand that a difference can still be made and needs to be made in Haiti.  With building these temporary shelters, our goal is to reduce poverty rates by helping families and individuals build their lives back.  Our dream is that people around the world read about our project and are reminded the importance of helping others.


Feasibility

Time:  The project is planed to begin in January, 2014 and will last for two years. The project will end the January of 2016.

Sponsors:

Home Depot
Home Depot has a long history of funding various local and 
national foundations that promote equality.  We will seek a donation for some of the tents we plan on buying from them.




Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire has their own, equality promoting campaign called "Jump Start". With their understanding of the importance of equality, they will more than likely help by donating some sleeping bags that we are planning on purchasing from them.



Project Expenses:

Start up fees= $10,000 (website fees, transportation, etc.)
Shelterlogic super max 18x30 Canopy Tent (100) = $14,900
Outbound Sleeping Bag, Linear, Mummy (1000)= $20,000

Project Fee Total: $44,000


About the Author

My name is Adam Yoshida and I a 15 years old.  Since I was young, my parents have taught me to be thankful for what I have.  From this, I feel sorry for people that are less fortunate then I am, and that is the motivation that has made me want to start this campaign.  Since I was around 4 years old, I have been doing martial arts; including, Tea-Kwon-Do and Karate.  I have my 3rd degree black belt in Tea-Kwon-Do and am currently a blue advanced in Karate.  I have an older sister, Sarah in university, and a younger brother, Alex in grade 6.  With my busy day to day life, I too forget the importance of giving back, but with with project, I invite you to help make a difference in Haiti.


Sources

• Lushbaugh, Victoria "Haiti Struggles" www.wtvr.com/2013/01/12.  Nov. 19/2013
• Wikipedia "2010 Haiti Earthquake" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_haiti_earthquake. Nov. 18/2013
• Home Depot "Buy Online" www.homedepot.ca Nov.18/2013