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Friday, April 30, 2010

Last Day in Haiti: Don’t Want To Leave, Can’t Wait To Come Back

So I sit here in the Miami airport, waiting for my flight back to Nashville, and I wish I was in Haiti. A country has never stolen my heart like Haiti, despite the 6 continents that I have stepped foot on. Reflecting on my 30 days in Haiti, I can’t stop thinking about the street children and orphans of Haiti, knocking on our car windows, begging in the streets, coming to SOPUDEP for afternoon classes, and a sense that every day they don’t have a home and consistent education, is a day we lose them to the streets and to the world. It is imperative that H.E.R.O. builds this orphanage, and provides a chance for the street children and orphans of Haiti to receive an opportunity to succeed in life, to be somebody, to reach adulthood with an education and attitude of excellence. We can do this, and with your support, we can.

On Wednesday night we attended a going away part for the United Sikhs. It was one of the best parties I have ever been to. There was the unusual combination of local Haitian grass roots organizers along with middle sized relief organizations, along with Haitians still living in tents that are now jobless, all celebrating life. With the help of 3 bottles of rum and 2 cases of beer we all danced the night away, to Indian music, Haitian music, Hip Hop, you name it. The food was wonderful, and Rea made sure that in front of me sat a big heaping plate of griot, deep fried pork chunks: Delicious! It was surely a night to remember.

Thursday Michele and I spent packing. We didn’t even emerge from our cave until 2:00 in the afternoon, and only to grab some snacks to eat and, oh yea, get some griot for lunch. It may be fattening, but it is delicious (did I say that already?)

Today, as Michele and I were preparing to head to the airport, Rea came with her husband, daughter, and several other SOPUDEP colleagues to say their goodbyes. Not only that, but they presented me and Michele with beautifully hand carved wooden maps of Haiti, that will immediately go on to my wall to remember the great times we had this month. We accomplished so much in so little time, and I look forward to coming back in August to begin construction on our development.

Word is in ladies and gentlemen. It will cost $64,000 dollars to build the first until of our development in Nippes. I will provide the breakdown of costs to anyone interested in the figures. Our goal is to begin the program in January, with one constructed unit capable of housing up to 12 children. We hope that you will join us in our achieving our goal of helping the most disenfranchised youth in Haiti: the orphans and street children.

Steven Kirby, President
http://www.haitihero.org/

1 comment:

  1. Great post! Things are really moving along! And that was the most delicious griot I've ever had--thanks for sharing. :)

    ReplyDelete