What's New
Project prevention will be in Orlando
Project Prevention will be going to Orlando, FL on March 4th to work with residents to get word out to addicts about our offer. If you're in the Orlando area and would like to volunteer give us a call at (704) 454-9922.
Project Prevention Goes Global
Barbara Harris is amazed that her small dream/plan to prevent unwanted pregnancies for addicts/alcoholics has gone Global.
The UK chapter of Project Prevention will be up and running very soon. The response has been phenomenal from those working in the fields of Social Services, law enforcement, and healthcare. UK addicts will be paid to obtain long term birth control i.e. IUD or Implanon(which last 8 to 10 years. We will not be paying for sterilization in the UK.
We have been contacted by many other Countries wanting us to bring Project Prevention there. The only way that will happen is if there is a financial backer in that Country to fund paying addicts there.
NO United States donations will be spent on other Countries.
February 9th BBC Interview
Barbara Harris was interviewed by a BBC radio station in hopes that London would learn about Project Prevention. The interview was unlike any she has done. Tune in on Feb. 9th to learn why.
End of Year Letter 2010 - from Barbara Harris, Founder and Executive Director
Dear Supporter:
Lazhanae Harris. One of nine children born to a mother who was always sure she didn't want to raise kidsĀ with a history of substance abuse. Like five of her siblings, she bounced from foster home to foster home until, in March 2009, she was brutally murdered inside a South Central apartment at the age of 13. Learn more...
Without a doubt, I have read far too many stories like this one. And each time one thing is abundantly clear, these are preventable tragedies.
Think about the estimated 300,000 children exposed to illicit drugs during the first trimester and another 850,000 to alcohol each year, that is over one million substance exposed children being born. Some suffer life-long consequences such as fetal alcohol syndrome. Others, like Lazhanae, enter into child welfare systems across the United States that are overburdened and with uncertain futures.
In the end, stories like these are the reason you have chosen to donate your time and money to Project Prevention over the years. You have seen firsthand the struggles of children born substance exposed and know, like I do, that something had to be done.
And your support has made 2010 our most successful year ever. Through the first nine months of 2010, we have paid 465 new clients, an average of 47 per month. Our continued improvement shows that the need for our program continues to grow across the Country. The last year has also seen worldwide exposure including a trip to the United Kingdom made possible by a $20,000 donation from a London based donor. The trip resulted in both a documentary and extensive news coverage including stories in Canada, Australia, Brazil and Africa. More importantly, it brought increased awareness here at home that contributed to our best year ever. Despite our success, we continue to need your support to continue doing our work. You remain the backbone of our organization and only together can we continue our work to break the cycle of children being born substance exposed. It is my sincere hope that you will keep Project Prevention in mind as you make your year-end or beginning of the year donations. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns at 704-454-9922.
Regards, Barbara Harris-Founder/Director
Project Prevention featured on news media in Philadelphia. Click the links below to read.
- Drug addicts paid not to have children- ABC News Philadelphia.
- Group pays drug addicts to obtain birth control- Philadelphia Inquirer. (registration required)
Articles of Interest
- Drug Use During Pregnancy
- Illicit Drug Use During Pregnancy
- Ilegal Drugs and Pregnancy
- Cocaine Use During Pregnancy
- Pregnancy and Drug Use Trends
- National Foster Care Statistics, 2003
Staggering Statistics
Every day more than 3 children die as a result of abuse and neglect. Over 75% of the child abuse fatalities were children under the age of 5.
Children who have been abused experience anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, substance abuse, and even worse many contemplate or attempt suicide.
Each year in California, 5,000 youth "age out" of foster care when they turn 18. The California Department of Social Services found that 65% of these foster youth face imminent homelessness!
Roughly 50% of foster youth do not complete high school.
Over 50% of foster youth become juvenile delinquents and furthermore, commit violent crimes as adults.
