AMERICAN INDIAN FACTS
Many children drop out of school because their tattered clothing is ridiculed. SWICF provides clothing for the children so they can stay in school.
Once numbering in the tens of millions, Indians began this century with a population of barely 200,000. Today, there are 2.4 million, and are the nation’s youngest and fastest-growing minority.
There are 557 Indian tribes in 33 states, with a combined population of 2.4 million people. Of those, 1.3 million live on reservations.
29,100 homes, or 51%, of the homes on the Navajo Reservation lack complete plumbing. SWICF provides 55-gallon water containers for our Native American friends to fill.
Unemployment stays around 50% on most Reservations, rising to as much as 90% in some areas. In comparison, the U.S. unemployment rate is 4.2%.
American Indians are the country’s poorest, sickest, and least educated minority.
Suicides are 70% higher on Reservations than the rest of the U.S., accounting for approximately 17% of all deaths.
The primary heat source is wood for 54% of the Navajos.
8% of Navajo households do not have telephones.