Who We're Running For
International Samaritan supports families living in garbage dump communities, or communities that are located within and around, and dependent on, the world's unregulated garbage dumps. These communities are especially vulnerable because they face barriers to access to education, stable employment, safe housing, and healthcare while also facing extremely high rates of poverty, poor health conditions, and violence. According to UNESCO:
- The average life expectancy within these communities is 35 years of age.
- Infant mortality is very high - more than 30% of infants will die before reaching the age of two.
- The average daily income of an individual living and working in these communities is $1.24 a day, putting them well below the United Nation's standard for extreme poverty (which is making less than $2 a day).
According to the Worldwide Waste Index, more than 15 million people have been confirmed to live in these conditions around the world. They have also said that, due to limitations in collecting data, this number is likely wildly below the actual number who likely actually live in these communities. International Samaritan currently is supporting 621 families living in these conditions. Our goal is to reach more, focusing on community-level change.
As the pandemic continues to impact their communities, the biggest issue that our families have reported back to us is fear of losing access to food. Our goal this year is to ensure that these families stay fed for the next year. After a year of providing food baskets already, we've determined that the average cost to feed a family of four for a month in these communities is $100. We need your help to continue to provide these vital food baskets through 2022.
- For $100, you can feed a family of four for a month.
- For $500, you can feed a family of four for five months.
- For $1200, you can feed a family of four for a year!
