In Good Company

just saw this short video - learned that Sean Penn's kids will be visiting Haiti as well. I like what he says -- "The first person served by service is the server".
See you in Haiti.


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One Laptop Per Child

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is a great organization that's working together with Haiti Partners. They develop and distribute the computers that the kids in Haiti will be using in schools, and that I'll be teaching them how to use. Great to see how such a simple device can have such a large impact.



Here's John Engle and others talking about the importance of laptops during a time like this.



One Love

School in Port-Au-Prince

Here's a picture of one of the 14 makeshift schools that Prodev has built in Port-Au-Prince that I'll be volunteering at.

View Larger Map

I was able to find the house that I'll be staying at in Haiti on GoogleMaps. I've gone on GoogleMaps and looked for my house just like everybody else has, so I thought this would be a cool thing to see. I'm starting to realize that this trip is so soon and it's so exciting!

Vaccines

Whatsup everbody,

I went to the doctor's office today to get all of the vaccinations and medicines suggested for my trip. I only had to get one, but my dad wasn't up to date on his shots and got five! This is the first real tangible sign of our trip that I've been able to experience, so I'm really excited! That's all for now, stay posted for any news.
Hopefully these shots don't hurt too bad =)

Peace

Helping Haiti the Right Way

This is an article presenting an interesting perspective about the relief efforts in Haiti. It is fantastic that so many people are volunteering and trying to make a difference, but it's equally important to make sure that we don't do too much. Haiti is its own independent country, so we need to remember to keep it's best interest in mind.

What do you guys think about the relief programs?

Helping Haiti isn't So Simple

"My Mountain"

Here's a video giving us some insight into the lives of the Haitian people. Despite all of the recent attention on Haiti and the earthquake, a lot of people still don't know the lifestyle of Haiti's people. Unfortunately, Haiti is a tremendously impoverished nation, and the recent earthquake has only worsened the situation.

This video taught me a lot about Haiti, its people, its culture, and more. Share your thoughts after the jump.

Haitian Schools and Children

Education is, in my opinion, the most important thing to focus on in these rebuilding efforts. Haiti's youth has remained optimistic and eager to learn. These kids are the future of Haiti, and they will be forced to live in the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake. For this reason, it's important that we focus on them and give them the tools that they need to, eventually, live a happy life and help rebuild their country.

This article and the video illustrate the needs of the Haitian children. This is exactly the kind of stuff that I hope to be helping out with on my trip.

Let me know how you feel...

My Trip to Haiti

Great news! My trip to Haiti is happening! After a few days of messing around with my schedule and dealing with lots of logistics (Haiti is not easy to get in and out of, find a place to stay etc.), I was able to find the perfect time to go. I'll be leaving on April 9th, with my Dad, fora week. I was able to work out a custom program in which I'll be working closely with kids in makeshift schools in Port-Au-Prince.

As I've said before, Education really needs to be one of our biggest focus as it provides both immediate and long-term solutions for Haiti's problems. Getting kids in schools keeps them safe and off the now-dangerous streets. More importantly, it employs a sense of community in the children, while teaching them to appreciate learning and always seek new knowledge. Considering the fact that these kids will compose Haiti's future, these traits will bode well for the country's future.

Along with some hard work by me and help from my parents, two people have helped me make this trip a reality: Daniel Kedar and John Engle. Daniel Kedar, who is married to the ex-Haitian Minister of Tourism and is deeply involved in saving the people of Haiti. Daniel, along with his organization (Prodev), has built 14 makeshift schools in Haiti for young children and is recruiting, training, and supporting teachers to educate the children and keep them safe. This solves two major issues: lack of education and childrenS' safety in the terrorized streets of Haiti. Daniel is also a professional photographer and is thoroughly documenting his work in Haiti and has held exhibits in the past displaying the Haitian people and culture.

I contacted Daniel and we made a plan for my trip. I'll be working with kids in Prodev's schools by teaching them about and how to use computers, as they are very eager to learn. Also, I plan to teach them a thing or two about Soccer (if they even need teaching, as I think they're pretty good at Soccer over there) which should really be fun.

That's all for now. Please let me know if you guys have any ideas about what I can do in Haiti, or if you just want to let me know what you think. Thanks!

French Song for Haiti

Here's another cool French "We Are The World"-type tribute for Haiti and its people. It's great to see that people all over the world are pitching in and doing their part in helping Haiti restore its ways.

Enjoy!