Immunizations are common practice in most countries in the world, but in third world countries like Haiti, life-saving vaccines are not easily accessed.
Following a catastrophic earthquake in 2010 and a subsequent cholera outbreak from water supply infrastructure failures, vaccines became out of reach for many children. Church partners, who would usually aid in getting vaccines to children and families, were stretched thin to meet the needs of the population.
The Haitian government had been providing the minimum standard vaccines for its population, but even with their provisions, children were not receiving vaccines for life-threatening diseases like Hepatitis B, HiB (Haemophilus Influenzae), meningitis, pneumonia and typhoid.
While all of these diseases can be fatal, pneumonia is the biggest threat as it is the number one cause of death among children globally.
The Venverloh Family Foundation’s donation through Compassion International provided the funding for life-saving vaccines.
Through their partnerships with local churches and Compassion programs, Compassion International vaccinated 1,624 children in Haiti. While this represents the number of children vaccinated, the impacts on the community are even larger as the likelihood of the spread of deadly diseases diminishes.
