UNICEF – A Call to Action

Ways to Partner 20 Comments

I could go on for hours and hours and hours about how many people from literally all over the world are working together to care for the people in Haiti.   Here are just a few of them:

  • Two weeks ago, just moments after Dixie got off CNN saying that GLA had 2 days worth of water, I got a call on my cell phone (in Michigan) from a lady in Jamaica.   She saw Dixie on CNN, heard the story and has a friend in Haiti who has a water truck.   She needed directions to the orphanage and the next morning a water truck showed up courtesy of the friend of hers.
  • Last week Saturday, GLA was caring for a seriously ill 7 month old boy who needed to be transferred to the hospital for a blood transfusion.   The problem was that he would die without oxygen and none of GLA’s oxygen equipment was portable.  Guess how they got him to the hospital?   With the help of a FRENCH team.

So why do I bring those up?   Because I have a heavy heart today about things that are happening.   Because UNICEF appears to be the only organization that we’re aware of that is currently working in Haiti that isn’t working for the good of the children and the families that have suffered so much in this tragedy.    Let me explain:

  • I’ve heard from a variety of friends that I have “on the ground” that all of the children who are being discharged from clinics, hospitals, the USS Comfort and places like that are being gathered up and taken to tent cities where they are living in poor conditions and not receiving adequate attention and care.
  • There are people who want to provide for these children but aren’t being allowed to.   Why?   So that UNICEF can say that they are in charge?  It boggles the mind.
  • UNICEF claims they are doing this to avoid child trafficking.   They are totally missing the point.

THE CHILDREN OF HAITI NEED YOUR HELP AND THEY NEED IT NOW!

We need everyone who reads this to do a couple of things:

1. Post a Link to it on your Facebook, Twitter and any other places that you can.

2. E-mail all of your friends, family, co-workers and ask them to spread the word as well.

3. Contact your congressional offices, Senators offices, local media, governor’s office and any other media people to spread the word.

What points do we want to get across?

Here are 4 talking points:

  1. There are orphanages like God’s Littlest Angels who are waiting and able to take care of the wounded and displaced children and UNICEF isn’t allowing them to.   The Dutch, Haitian, US and Canadian governments worked very hard at getting the orphaned children who already had forever families waiting for them out of the country and home to their families.   Why?  2 reasons – 1) To keep those kids safe but also 2) to create space in the orphanages to care for the children who are suffering because of this earthquake.
  2. UNICEF appears to feel that it’s better for these displaced children to stay in tent cities in the badly damaged areas in Port rather than in orphanages that have food, water, medical care, a decent structure and paid professional caregivers waiting to give them love, attention and care.  Ask the media and the governmental offices, what’s the sense in that?
  3. We at God’s Littlest Angels Orphanage know that adoptions are closed for the time being.   We are prepared to and plan on devoting significant resources to helping reunite those who have living family members with their family members. God’s Littlest Angels has and will dedicate the resources that it takes to make sure the kids are well cared for and that all governmental rules are followed in all countries involved.
  4. We need UNICEF and the US and Canadian Governments to change this policy immediately and get these children out of tent cities and into adequate facilities like GLA.   Not next week, not Friday, TODAY.

It is not an overstatement to say that some of the children in these tent cities are at a much greater risk of disease and infections, some of which could be fatal, due to the careless, thoughtless and selfish behaviors of the people at UNICEF and that needs to change NOW.

Thank you for spreading the word and pressuring those who need to make changes.

Tom Vanderwell

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