Humanist Charities: Donate to Build Latrines in Haiti

The people of Haiti are still suffering from the effects of the devastating earthquake of 2010. According to a recent CNN report, cholera has taken the lives of over 8,000 people and continues to spread—largely due to lack of clean water and latrines.

In 2011, Children of the Border, a humanist charity led by Harvard humanist Sebastian Velez, worked to stop the spread of cholera by building latrines for over thirty families in the Haitian community of Fond-Jeannette.

Thanks to Sebastian’s well-organized team of humanist volunteers and the help of the Haitian community, building latrines is simple. Your donation will be used to buy tools, cement, and other materials needed to build the latrine. Each family digs the hole themselves, and a local mason works to ensure that the latrines have a solid foundation.

But more latrines are needed to cover more than fifty families in the community. Humanist Charities is encouraging all members to help reach our goal of $15,000 to support the people of Haiti and stop the spread of cholera. Not only will your support provide convenience and hygiene for a single family, but it protects the larger community from the spread of cholera.

Humanist Charities and Children of the Border have teamed up in the past to raise funds to provide free contraceptives, emergency nutrition to children, and emergency pre-natal care to communities on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Sebastian was also one of the first to arrive in Haiti immediately after the 2010 earthquake to provide food, water and supplies to Haitians in need. Humanist Charities members raised $50,000 toward this effort, and you can see photos of the relief efforts here.

Donations to Humanist Charities from now until the end of the year will help build much-needed latrines in Haiti to stop the spread of cholera. You can make a tax-deductible donation at www.humanistcharities.org.

To learn more about Humanist Charities and Children of the Border, visit www.humanistcharities.org.