In 2005, 5 Loaves established it first feeding program in Haiti. Currently 5 Loaves is supporting three feeding programs,two in Port Au Prince and one in Les Cayes and Cavaillon.
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere with an annual per capita income of less than $400. The average life expectancy is fifty-three with eight out of one thousand children never seeing their first birthday. Half of the population cannot read. An estimated one hundred sixty-three thousand children are AIDS orphans. The children in Haiti are at risk from illnesses related to malnutrition and drinking contaminated water from the rivers that flow with malaria, typhoid, and other diseases. The majority of the population is of African descent with a small minority being French-African. Because of the constant changes of ownership that went back many decades ago and the proximity to the Dominican border, there is also a small yet visible Dominican-descended population. The school system uses French as the main language. The official religion is Roman Catholicism but the constitution allows free choice of religion. Some of the people also practice voodoo. Some Haitian mothers will prepare dirt cakes made from clay, dirt, and water to relieve the pain of their children’s empty stomachs. The food situation has declined and the price of food soaring and food supplies are often difficult to come by. The Haitians feel that the government is not doing much to help with the food situation, which has led to a great deal of the rioting in the past.
5 Loaves supports two orphanages in Port Au Prince: Home 4 Children and Foyer Action Pour l'Avenir. The children receive three meals a day.
January 2017 5 Loaves starting partnering with non-profit organization, Education Equals Hope (E=H) that have sponsorship programs in the Les Cayes and Cavaillon, Haiti. These areas were struck by hurricane Mathew. E=H helps over 400 students receive an education. At Anotte in the countryside outside of Cavaillon, they have a St Esprit School with 294 students enrolled this year in grades K-1 to P-8. 5 Loaves will help to provide a hot meal for their students and teachers each school day. This was one of the areas in the South that was hit hard by the Hurricane. Many of the parents of their school children lost their homes and gardens. Thankfully, two of their three school buildings are still standing but suffered roof damage and lost all supplies and textbooks.
The people of Haiti have such a sweet and loving spirit and appreciate so much of the work that is being done for them. It is amazing to talk to the different people involved, from doctors to teachers, on how the children have improved so much with their health and studies. The teachers have said that it is so important to continue the feeding program because with a meal in their stomachs they are able to focus on what they are being taught during the day.