Scrambling to Help Haitian Children

Orphaned and In the Streets

Tragically, the stinging devastation of Haiti's earthquake continues to unfold, leaving children suddenly bereft of parents and family now wandering the ever-darkening, dangerous streets of Porte-Au-Prince and elsewhere, scrambling and scrounging for food, shelter, and comfort. Some are old enough to know their names. Others, too young to know what's happened, are lucky enough to have attending doctors assign them a number. The rest? Who knows?

Haiti is no stranger to orphaned children.

According to AP reporter Tamara Lush, in the past few years, atrocious political ruthlessness forced hundreds of political targets to flee Haiti, abandoning their own children in an exodus to seek asylum in the United States. On top of that, natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and tropical storms mercilessly pounded the poverty-stricken island for the last decade, leaving behind a widening wake of destruction and death. Additionally, abject poverty forces many parents to give up care for their children and turn to orphanages for a last-ditch effort to provide for their needs.

Now this.

Before the earthquake, there were an estimated 380,000-plus orphans in Haiti, according to Lush. With the aftermath of the earthquake still at a tumultuous peak, it is hard to say what the number will be now, but it will be in the “tens of thousands,” reports Lush.

Stepped-Up Responses Benefit Some

The US Government Department of Homeland Security reacted quickly to the quake by granting “a humanitarian parole policy” for adoption cases already in process, opening the door for some children to enter the United States immediately.

HIT Web Design owner Dave Aitken hopes to benefit from the new policy.

In August, 2009, he and his wife announced their intention to adopt children from an orphanage sponsored by HIT Web Design. With the news of the earthquake, they felt like they were on “pins and needles” for days as news of the whereabouts and condition of the children from the orphanage was not available.

To date, all but six of the children cared for by the orphanage have been accounted for, including those who were to be adopted by Dave. Dave hopes the Haitian and US governments can bring about a quick resolution to their adoption quest.

In the meantime, Dave “cannot rest until the others are located.”

You can track up-to-date progress of Dave's adoption quest and the status of the orphanage by visiting HIT Web Design on Facebook. Search for “HIT Web Design,” and become a friend.

Hope for Little Angels of Haiti

HIT became a sponsor for a Haitian orphanage in 2009, and Dave ventured to Haiti to see the facility. He reported in April, 2009, “I have sat and held these children, and have to tell you, it is absolutely heartbreaking. They are so tall, but weigh absolutely nothing; many of their eyes seem to have no hope or happiness left, and I am excited to share with all of you how this changes as we help provide for them.” Prior to HIT's involvement, the mortality rate was one or two weekly at the orphanage, but with the help provided by HIT, that dropped to zero!

After making several other trips, Dave fell in love with the children. In August, 2009, he wrote, “I have to say that it is nearly impossible to walk into that place and avoid having a handful of these kids grab your heart. In fact, if I could, I think I would build a hotel in my back yard, fill up an airplane, and bring all of them home.” Dave initiated changes to improve the condition of the children, including moving them to a better facility.

In October, he was pleased to report incredible improvement overall of the health and condition of the children, saying, “The improvement in the kids' conditions was again evident (when) we walked in the door. We are seeing a very real reversal in the damage the (undernourishment) had done. The kids' hair is thickening and getting shiny, bellies are no longer bloated, eyes have the sparkle back in them, and my personal favorite, their energy is extremely high.”

With the earthquake carnage fresh in mind, and amid worries for the still-missing children, plans are already being made to build a completely new orphanage that will incorporate modern earthquake-resistant features and high standards of design.

For more information, or to donate, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.

Haitian Orphans Coming to Utah

Provo, Utah – January 19 2010 – After a devastating earthquake in Haiti and the traumatic and emotional week that followed, 10 orphans from Hope for Little Angels of Haiti may soon be on their way to Utah.

Hope for Little Angels of Haiti is the orphanage adopted by HIT Web Design in January, 2009. Many employees have been voluntarily donating a portion of each paycheck to the orphanage since then.

HIT Web Design CEO David Aitken and his wife, Candice, say they’re shocked and overjoyed that their soon-to-be children, Nerlande (5), Yonelson (5), and Fabrice (8), will soon be joining them in Utah. The reunion of the family in Utah will mark the final major step in an adoption process that began in November 2008.

It was made possible after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced humanitarian parole for eligible Haitian orphans. David Aitken says allowing children who are being adopted to join their adoptive families ensures those children will be properly cared for and allows the limited resources in Haiti to be devoted to others in need.

Travel arrangements must still be finalized through the U.S. embassy, so there is no word yet on when the children will arrive. In addition, some of the children who are allowed to come to Utah are still missing.

Hope for Little Angels of Haiti was in the process of relocating when the earthquake struck, and the earthquake partially damaged the new orphanage. Communication with the orphanage caretakers has been difficult, but as of Tuesday morning, seven children out of the 68 cared for by the orphanage were still missing. The children accounted for are said to be in good health.

The orphanage is extremely grateful for the donations it has received so far. A doctor travelling from Utah to Haiti is delivering donated funds to the orphanage directors for use in providing food and shelter for the orphans.

With gasoline now selling for $12 a gallon, donated funds are also being used to purchase fuel to help locate the missing children.

Those wishing to contribute may do so through the orphanage website or by visiting HIT Web Design’s humanitarian site. 100 percent of all donations go directly to the orphanage for use in caring for the children as well as for rebuilding the damaged orphanage.

HIT Web Design is a Provo, Utah-based company specializing in designing and hosting affordable and effective websites for small and medium-size businesses.

Contact:
Brad Stone
Co-Owner/Public Relations Manager
Heritage Internet Technologies
1460 North Moonriver Drive
Provo, Utah 84604
Phone: 801-655-1600 ext. 1600
E-mail: media@hitwebdesign.com

Visit HIT Humanitarian at http://hithumanitarian.com
Visit Hope for Little Angels of Haiti at http://hopeforlittleangelsofhaiti.org
Visit HIT Web Design at http://www.hitwebdesign.com

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Advanced Techniques for Web Success Part II

Eye Tracking and Heat Mapping

A great deal of study has gone into the physiological response of an observing set of eyes as it scans a website. The result is that areas where eyes linger longer become important spots to optimize in your website's design. The longer the gaze, the deeper your message will impact the viewer. By analyzing the gaze plot pattern, heat maps can then be generated showing areas of fixation and the gaze time for each hot spot.

F-Shaped Patterns

According to a study by Jakob Nielsen, “eye tracking visualizations show that users often read Web pages in an F-shaped pattern: two horizontal stripes followed by a vertical stripe.” His report explains that speed is the reason for the F-shaped pattern as visitors come to a website and quickly scan it for details. As a result, he identifies the following implications for web design.

• Users don't read everything—most of the time they are simply scanning for important points.

• Important information should be stated up front—the first two paragraphs will be looked at more than others.

• Making use of headings, subheadings, and bullet points is critical—the eyes are naturally drawn to them.

Subconscious Decisions

In a blog article from Google, one can easily see the F-shaped pattern in the heat map shown in Google's findings from an eye-tracking study. Google determined that people start from the top of the screen and work their way down when surveying search results, with most of their time spent in the top quarter of the page. They also determined that “people evaluate the search results page so quickly that they make most of their decisions unconsciously.”

Designing your content to match the F-shaped pattern is critical to the success of your site.

Hit Web Design offers tools as well to facilitate testing of your website's effectiveness. For additional information contact us at Hit Web Design or call 866-211-0743.