The First 20 Years

Children • Haiti • Trauma Relief • Women

Several studies are pointing the way to achieving self-sufficiency in developing communities by attending to family behaviors and nutrition during early childhood. In most marginalized communities, even those in industrialized nations, parenting practices generally parallel economic level.  Kids in at-risk communities are far more likely to be neglected or treated with disdain or violence, whereas children in wealthier climes are generally treated with regard, included in family events on a near equal basis, and empowered to become their own agents beginning at an early age. Some of the differences between the two groups are due to educational backgrounds (e.g. illiterate…

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Farewell, Fred Voodoo

Children • Haiti • Trauma Relief • Women

Been reading Amy Wilentz’s ‘Farewell, Fred Voodoo’ on life in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake.  If you’d like to immerse yourself in Haitian communities and their legendary resilience, this is the avenue – and the agony and the ecstasy. There’s an openness to new ideas in our communities there that consistently inspires.  We’ve introduced a full plate of programs to some of Haiti’s most neglected communities – schooling, adult literacy, adult vocational training, orphan reunification, computer labs and training, English classes, dance, chorale, yoga, meditation – many of which were utterly foreign to our participants at the onset.  Nevertheless these programs have been met with…

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A Note from ASR Supporter Jill Higgins

Children • Environmental Sustainability • Haiti • Jatropha • Trauma Relief • Women

While Hunter and Andrea were in Haiti for the last two weeks, Jill Higgins and her daughter Ivy took time to fly in for 6 days to visit and get a look at several of the Aid Still Required programs around the country.  Below is Jill’s reflection on her time there.

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Thank you for 2013 and looking ahead to 2014

ASR Events • Business Angel • Current Events • Darfur • Environmental Sustainability • Haiti • Katrina • Media • Tsunami • Women

What a year 2013 has been! Aid Still Required has seen incredible growth and achieved major accomplishments: In Haiti, we began our support and guidance of OADENN, a children’s mentoring and support program in the northern city of Cap Haitien.  The program is working with over 100 kids weekly and provides everything from educational counseling, medical care, and team building, to safe places for play, yoga and meditation.  Heading into 2014, we aim to establish a physical center for expanded programming, to increase enrollment, and to support more kids going to school and receiving medical care.

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Spending my Birthday with Icon Gloria Steinem

ASR Events • Current Events • Women

“The most revolutionary of all qualities is kindness.” – Gloria Steinem Sometimes I just feel so dang lucky!!!!  This year my birthday coincided with The Ms. Foundation for Women celebration of Gloria Steinem‘s upcoming 80th birthday and I was able to be there.  For the under-30 crowd who may not have heard of Gloria, please, the second you finish reading this blog, google Gloria Steinem and send her a cosmic ‘Thank you’ for her tireless work to promote women’s equality, immigrant and labor rights, and affordable health care among dozens of other pursuits.  Her efforts to promote peace throughout the…

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Celebrities Bringing Attention to Haiti

Haiti • Women

As you may know, we have partnered with dozens of celebrities to bring attention to areas around the world that have been forgotten after a major disaster. Recently, we have asked many of these celebs to move above and beyond supporting ASR awareness campaigns. By working with Omaze, an online charity raffle site, our celebrity supporters can offer their fans a chance at winning the experience of a lifetime all while raising crucial funds for Aid Still Required programs. In the last few months, Seth Green, Sting, Adam Levine, and Bonnie Raitt have done just that. To add to that,…

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Haiti Update, 6/7: Port-au-Prince and Heading Home

Haiti • Women

The last several days have been a whirl-wind as we left Les Cayes for Port-au-Prince.  While we initially had planned a return to Wharf Jeremie to deliver 300 solar lights, problems at customs have delayed their delivery. As a result, we had to return to Wharf Jeremie with the news that our trainers would deliver the lights as soon as they arrived. Generally speaking, people seemed to understand that importing items to Haiti is oftentimes a problem. I think we were more upset about the situation than the program participants. The children who were in session when we arrived were…

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Haiti Update 5/24: Wharf Jeremie

Haiti • Women

I had hoped to be able to update sooner, but we had very spotty internet in Port-au-Prince after the first day.  Over the next several days in the capital we spent most of our time in Wharf Jeremie with our incredible team of trainers, Samson, Estavela, Lovely, Faby, Daniel, and Jeff. Upon our arrival to Wharf Jeremie, the team took through the narrow pathways of the settlement with mega phones to announce the start of the program the next morning. Many women who had already completed the program over the previous year and a half came out of their homes…

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Haiti Update 5/21: We Have Arrived!

Environmental Sustainability • Haiti • Women

A lot to catch up on and I will do a bigger summary tonight but we have had some incredible meetings so far and will be getting together with our trauma relief team today to go over strategy for the upcoming course. If possible we will visit Wharf Jeremie today to make plans for the sessions starting in the morning. So far we have had good luck in terms of getting together with knowledgeable players in the nonprofit world and getting an update on progress in the country. Yesterday we had the chance to go and visit both the Patience…

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MTS Healthcare Supports Aid Still Required

Haiti • Women

Last year, MTS Healthcare was introduced to us when we were looking for a laptop to utilize at our trauma relief program in Wharf Jeremie outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When MTS learned of the impact a new computer could make for our project coordinators, they were eager to help. After sending the computer to Haiti, Andrea wrote to MTS: “I think of you often as the new computer that MTS’ donation provided has made such a difference to the young people working there and to our ability to communicate a bit faster (when there is electricity and the Internet is…

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Andrea at UN Conference on Women

Current Events • Women

ASR founder Andrea is in NYC this week for the UN Womens Conference on Women connecting with female leaders from around the world as they seek to create a more just society for women.  One of the women Andrea met this week was Hania Moheeb, an accomplished Egyptian journalist who is speaking out to call attention to the plight of women in her home country.  Hania has related her personal experience of the sexual assaults on women in Tahrir Square.  According to an ABC News report last month, Tahrir Square has become a hotbed for violence against women with dozens…

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