Life is about more than simply surviving…it is also about having hope. It’s about facing the future without fear. It’s about having a sense of well-being for yourself. It is a feeling that life can get better.

When there is no hope, despair can become overwhelming leaving a child unable to cope with the constant suffering. Their sense of being powerless is crippling. This is especially true for orphans who have lived through a disaster. They not only suffer from the physical manifestations of the tragedy they also have to deal with the mental and emotional aspects of being alone. The children of Haiti have to relentlessly cope with the fact that death is constantly lurking because another earthquake could strike at any moment.

For children living in a devastated area, hope comes in many forms. It can be lifesaving medicines and vaccines. It can be enough daily calories to provide basic nutrition. It can be safe water for drinking. It can be shelter to protect against the elements. And most importantly, it can come from knowing that someone cares about them.

Hope is something every person in the world needs and deserves, but it is especially important for children. And since there are so many in Haiti who can’t create hope for themselves, we have an obligation to help provide it for them.

We can deliver hope to the children of Haiti now. We have the resources and means to do it. We don’t have to wait. We just have to care.