Nearly every time I bring up Haiti, I am asked the same question, worded the same exact way: "So, what is it you do in Haiti, exactly?!" As I gear up for my 7th trip (maybe 8th? you know you've been to a country your fair share when you lose track), I thought I would take a second to clarify this deep, dark mystery!!
The work I do has two completely separate parts to it: Education and Healthcare. First up, Educational sponsorships!! I will post again in the next few days about the healthcare portion of what I do!
Education Sponsorships: THIS! Is the fun stuff!!!
The last three years, I have spent MANY days working with young students in Moses Lake, explaining to them the privileges we inherently have by living in the United States, and convincing them that no matter their age, race, or background, they can make a HUGE difference in this world! Many of the classes I work with locally, then decide to do coin drives for the young students in Haiti. This work in the local classrooms, and the connections I then make on their behalf in Haiti, serve as my Miss America Organization "Platform", which I call "Lighting a Fire Within: Inspiring Others to a Life of Service". But, don't be mistaken, I have been doing this work long before Miss Moses Lake ever came to my attention! Being Miss Moses Lake simply opened the doors to having an even larger impact!
I find it an absolutely humbling and amazing experience to then take these local students' gifts, and facilitate the sponsorship of young individuals in rural Haiti who need it most. I travel to places where few other aid workers ever traverse (most all aid groups stick to Port au Prince, or a couple of the other large cities), and create relationships with the area school principals, who help me locate the families in the area who are struggling most, and who would give most anything for the opportunity for their children to attend school. I then work with these families to come up with the best, most sustainable way that I might be able to aid them.
For one family, the thing they needed more than any other, was seeds for the father's farm. The mother of the family had passed away two years previous, and the seeds sold to pay for her burial. Helping the family back up on their feet, with a business loan of sorts, meant they could better provide for themselves - and in this way, our giving did not create dependence!
All this work is not simply a matter of dropping money and leaving, but I return regularly to speak with the recipients, principals, teachers, and students' guardians, and in effect, I am what the Haitian culture calls an "education guardian". When I am not in country, I work with my on-ground "fixer", Gardy, who makes bi-weekly phone calls and checkups to ensure all continues to go well, and reports back to me with any concerns.
It should be briefly noted that there is ALWAYS "concern". Whether it be a need to buy new shoes or uniforms, attendance concerns, behavioral problems, government test registration, or dealing with impacts from Hurricane Sandy - there are always things that need attending to!
All this has led to an education being made possible for several young Haitians who otherwise would likely never even step foot into a classroom! And perhaps just as importantly, the students in Moses Lake have been able to see (in a very tangible way!) the life-changing impact they are capable of making in another corner of the world!!
(I always bring the pictures, thank you notes, and stories back to the local students, to demonstrate what they personally did for others in need - this is where the water works flow, and difference is made.)
I am often criticized for my work with statements like "What about your own country?! You turn your back on America to help Haiti!" But, let's be honest. While yes, there is great suffering here within our own borders, as a general statement, there is much greater need in Haiti. Because of this, for the same amount of effort and money, a much greater impact is possible in Haiti. And there truly is no comparison! We have the privilege to attend school no matter our circumstances (there are even free school buses if one cannot afford transportation!), we have access to emergency healthcare no matter our ability to pay (in Haiti you can't simply pick up the phone and call 911, or walk into an Emergency Room), and if needed, we have access to food stamps, welfare, medicaid, etc. It is my belief that God created every single individual on this planet to be of equal worth, and the fact that I am so incredibly blessed with the opportunities I have, is no more than a simple "birthday gift" - a chance occurrence (or act of God) that I was born within the borders or a privileged nation, and not elsewhere.
So, ask yourself, why should you deserve greater privileges and comforts than any other person on this planet; what did you do that someone in an impoverished nation did not?
The work I do has two completely separate parts to it: Education and Healthcare. First up, Educational sponsorships!! I will post again in the next few days about the healthcare portion of what I do!
Education Sponsorships: THIS! Is the fun stuff!!!
The last three years, I have spent MANY days working with young students in Moses Lake, explaining to them the privileges we inherently have by living in the United States, and convincing them that no matter their age, race, or background, they can make a HUGE difference in this world! Many of the classes I work with locally, then decide to do coin drives for the young students in Haiti. This work in the local classrooms, and the connections I then make on their behalf in Haiti, serve as my Miss America Organization "Platform", which I call "Lighting a Fire Within: Inspiring Others to a Life of Service". But, don't be mistaken, I have been doing this work long before Miss Moses Lake ever came to my attention! Being Miss Moses Lake simply opened the doors to having an even larger impact!
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| Speaking with Chief Moses Middle School students about our power to change the world! This year alone, this school raised $1600 for educational sponsorships in Haiti!! |
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| Working with an impoverished Haitian family, and my translator. |
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| Keke's farm in Haiti, before and after the planting of donated seeds. |
All this work is not simply a matter of dropping money and leaving, but I return regularly to speak with the recipients, principals, teachers, and students' guardians, and in effect, I am what the Haitian culture calls an "education guardian". When I am not in country, I work with my on-ground "fixer", Gardy, who makes bi-weekly phone calls and checkups to ensure all continues to go well, and reports back to me with any concerns.
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| Gardy is my #1 Haitian employee: Translator, Guard, "Fixer", Friend. |
All this has led to an education being made possible for several young Haitians who otherwise would likely never even step foot into a classroom! And perhaps just as importantly, the students in Moses Lake have been able to see (in a very tangible way!) the life-changing impact they are capable of making in another corner of the world!!
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| The students sponsored in Haiti thus far, by students in Moses Lake! |
In the past, students have also assembled Oral Rehydration packets for the treatment of Cholera.
This is the fourth academic year I have been doing this, and recently I had some of the first students I worked with, come up and tell me how their connection with Haiti changed their world perspective, and their concept of their ability to make a difference. THAT is what this is all about!
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I am often criticized for my work with statements like "What about your own country?! You turn your back on America to help Haiti!" But, let's be honest. While yes, there is great suffering here within our own borders, as a general statement, there is much greater need in Haiti. Because of this, for the same amount of effort and money, a much greater impact is possible in Haiti. And there truly is no comparison! We have the privilege to attend school no matter our circumstances (there are even free school buses if one cannot afford transportation!), we have access to emergency healthcare no matter our ability to pay (in Haiti you can't simply pick up the phone and call 911, or walk into an Emergency Room), and if needed, we have access to food stamps, welfare, medicaid, etc. It is my belief that God created every single individual on this planet to be of equal worth, and the fact that I am so incredibly blessed with the opportunities I have, is no more than a simple "birthday gift" - a chance occurrence (or act of God) that I was born within the borders or a privileged nation, and not elsewhere.
So, ask yourself, why should you deserve greater privileges and comforts than any other person on this planet; what did you do that someone in an impoverished nation did not?
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