The Cause

The Haiti Story

Haiti suffered one of the worst catastrophes in its history on January 12th of this year. After a history that has been plagued with disaster, poverty, disease, and violence, this most recent crisis has taken this small island nation to the edge of the abyss. The magnitude of death and destruction resulting from the January earthquake has left the Haitian people hopeless of ever being able to rebuild without long term, sustained support.

Haiti has been in need of help for a long time; but, the desperate need of its people and the extreme inadequacies of its services have been exposed to the world by this earthquake. Consider, for example, the fact that Haiti has never had functional transportation, a reliable electrical grid, widespread clean water lines or a sanitary sewer system. In addition, even before the quake, nearly every water source in Haiti had been contaminated with human waste. As a result, for years Haiti has had the highest infant mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere, with more than half those deaths due to water-borne gastrointestinal disease. Finally, Haiti has been and still is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with almost half of its population under the age of 18.

What We Can Do

Buy Ink Help Haiti.org (Buy Ink Help Haiti) is committed to helping Haiti move beyond its troubled history and desperate circumstances to eventually become a stronger, more stable country. Even after the media coverage fades and the relief workers return home, Buy Ink Help Haiti will continue to provide a practical, sustainable way to support Haiti over the long haul.

Because of the far reaching effects of Haiti's current shortage of safe, drinkable water, Buy Ink Help Haiti's first project will be to help provide clean water to the people of Haiti. Even before the January 12 earthquake, half of the Haitian population lacked access to safe water. Millions of Haitians have had to walk 4-6 miles from their homes every day in order to have access to clean water. Many have been forced to drink filthy, polluted water which has led to widespread diarrhea and dehydration, two of Haiti's worst chronic health problems. Tragically, many have died as a result of "dirty water" diseases; eighty percent of those deaths are of children 5 years old or younger.

Buy Ink Help Haiti.org is working with an organization called Water.org to help provide the resources necessary to create accessible, safe water supplies in Haiti. Co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, the mission of Water.org is to "draw attention to the world's #1 health problem: unsafe and inadequate water supplies, and to raise funds to fight this immense problem – one community at a time." In so doing, they hope to "liberate people to live healthier, fuller, more productive lives."

Water.org, in conjunction with the Clinton Global Initiative, has committed to providing sustainable clean water to at least 50,000 people in Haiti; and, Buy Ink Help Haiti is supporting that effort. How? 100% of the proceeds from every purchase made at Buy Ink Help Haiti will go to Water.org to support their water restoration efforts. So, by simply purchasing your everyday business supplies from Buy Ink Help Haiti, you can partner with us in providing long-term aid to the Haitian people. At Buy Ink Help Haiti, as long as you're buying, you're giving. And, what you give can add up pretty quickly. For example, a donation of only $25 can supply water for one person for life; and, a donation of $150 will meet the water needs of an entire family!

There is a Haitian proverb, "Men anpil chay pa lou," which translates as "Many hands lighten the load." The need continues... will you join us to help meet it?