Provide Specialty Formula for Babies in Haiti

Baby formula is important for babies at GLA. Many of our babies’ mothers died during or shortly after childbirth. They were never able to receive the antibodies and nutrients from their mother, making access to fortified formula at GLA even more essential to their health and development. Other babies were born in extenuating circumstances and their mothers’ were unable to produce milk or produced an inadequate amount to supply for the baby’s needs.

These women are victims of their environment. They usually don’t have enough financial stability to take care of themselves. No money to buy food so they can eat at least once a day. No government aid to relieve their suffering caused by natural or man made disasters such as famine and disease. The government in Haiti is not equipped to promote economical development and help strengthen its citizens. Meaning that in Haiti the government does not give any support to parents. Helping them purchase necessities for their young ones. Due to the lack of social assistance, when a baby comes to GLA for care they have often been undernourished for a period of time and we must work hard to help them gain weight and provide supplements for their vitamin deficiencies. Baby formula helps us do both of these things.

This is why your donations are so important to us. They allow us help all of the mothers and babies that comes to GLA. We are able to make sure that all of the babies get all of the nutrients that are needed in their little bodies to grow and thrive. Thank you so much for helping GLA.

Links:

• Our website

Everything that has to do with childcare in Haiti is very expensive. From daycare, baby clothes, baby skincare products, going to the Pediatrician, baby medicine, and even baby formula is so expensive. Less then half of the population can afford to purchase baby formula and so they use plain powdered milk or nothing if they cannot breast feed for some reason.

Back in the day, Haiti used to produce many things like rice, coffee, sugarcane, vegetables etc. About two decades ago or more, Haiti’s production of goods and services stopped. Most Baby formula is so expensive in Haiti because we import everything from different countries like the Dominican Republic, the United States, the Netherlands and China. We barely have any goods and services to export from Haiti. So when you go to the market, everything is more expensive than even in the markets in the USA and Canada. The cheapest baby formula is like 15 US dollars. The highest is like 21 US dollars per box. The Smallest and cheapest one has only 350 grams of formula. That is not even enough to feed a baby for a week. It is not even the good quality one, the one that your pediatrician would recommend a mother to buy for her baby girl or baby boy.

Many families in Haiti don’t have the means to buy Baby formula because it’s out of their financial reach. Some mothers actually breastfeed their children for two to three years because it is easier and cheaper to do so. Not having to buy baby formula or baby food for their children gives them the opportunity to feed themselves and the rest of their family. The government does not have any programs for parents with low income or for single parents. The government does not subside any of their needs. But sometimes mothers do not have enough breast milk or the mother has died and the father needs to buy milk.

Many of the children that are at GLA don’t have the opportunity to stay with their mothers so they can be breastfed. Many of the children here don’t have the opportunity to stay with their mothers because their mothers are malnourished and they barely have food for themselves so they produce less and less breast milk. Sometimes, the mother has died. 

When you donate at GLA, you give our children opportunities to grow and be healthy. Please donate so we can have baby formula to feed the babies at GLA.