For more than 25 years, the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti – headquartered in Chattanooga – has been working in Haiti to raise a healthy generation of Haitian children, who can, in turn, help raise Haiti from poverty. To help increase awareness of its mission and raise funds to support its efforts to treat malnutrition and provide healthcare services for the women and children in Haiti, CNP Haiti is hosting its inaugural Hope for Haiti Walk-A-Thon on Saturday, May 11, at Coolidge Park.
“Despite the continued turmoil in Haiti, our mission continues everyday -- saving lives and fighting childhood malnutrition,” said Patricia Cyr Watlington, executive director for the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti. “We believe every child has the right to make it to his or her fifth birthday, and far beyond. As one the few grassroots organizations still working in Haiti today, CNP Haiti’s community health workers (Monitrices) are committed to walking village to village, home to home through the rugged mountains to treat malnutrition and deliver vital healthcare services to the women and children of Haiti.”
CNP Haiti is a faith-based 501(c)(3) organization that works with women across Haiti and trains them to serve as health care workers for their community so they can empower new mothers and their children on the path to health and wellness.
The Hope for Haiti Walk-A-Thon will officially begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, at the outdoor stage in Coolidge Park. The event route will travel 2.3 miles in Chattanooga as participants walk in honor of the women and children in Haiti – and Monitrices who play a role in the fight against malnutrition.
Upon returning to Coolidge Park, CNP Haiti will have food trucks, beverages, shaved ice and a fun Kids Zone for everyone to enjoy.
"We are walking for the women and children in Haiti, but this Walk-A-Thon is our way to honor the Monitrices who are walking up to 8 miles a day – the equivalent of 16,000 steps a day or four times the number of steps taken by the average American on any given day – to educate families on what methods and medicines are helpful for the care of their children,” said Dr. Anany G. Prosper, country director.
Early registration for the Hope for Haiti Walk-a-Thon is $25 per person and will continue through Sunday, May 5. After this date, the event registration will be $30 per person.
To learn more, please visit www.cnphaiti.org or call 206-4882 for additional questions on sponsorship opportunities, registration details and event schedule.