The Hope of Haiti
Our trips to the developing world began with a group of students from Brother Edmund Rice Secondary School in Toronto in 1990. The first trip, to downtown Kingston, Jamaica, consisted of 28 volunteers, including students and teachers. The students worked in schools, orphanages, and a Home for the Dying. This was followed by seven more trips to Jamaica and one to Nicaragua. By 2000, the group was composed of university students and working adults.
In 2003, we switched to Port au Prince, Haiti. We also applied for and received official charity status and became Third World Awareness. We have been traveling to work in Haiti each May since that time. Hundreds of people have traveled with us. They are all ages, all religions, and all ethnic backgrounds.
We try to have a relaxed environment around us with just enough structure to hold it all together. Over the years, we have learned that although we travel to help others, we are the ones who are deeply enriched by the spiritual openness and energy of those we came to serve.
Our trips up to this point:
| 1990 | 24 students from Brother Edmund Rice Catholic School went to work in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica during the March Break. They worked at the Mustard Seed, The Faith Center, Jacob’s Well and Mother Theresa’s Home for the Dying. |
| 1992 | 28 students from Brother Edmund Rice went to Kingston again. We added Riverton City to our places of work. |
| 1993 | 18 students from Rice worked in an orphanage in Estelli in Northern Nicaraugua. |
| 1996 | 18 students went to Kingston again. The trip included a mime and clown performance in Riverton City by Stephen La Frenie. |
| 1998 | Students from Rice work again in Kingston. We add Trenchtown (Operation Restoration), and Marigold Orphanage to our work sites |
| 1999 | Students work in Kingston including Maxfield Orphanage. |
| 2000 | University students now become the core of our group and add a whole new energy. |
| 2001 | A large group go to Kingston. We have added St. Monica’s and Dare to Care to our worksites. |
| 2002 | 22 mostly university students return to work in Jamaica. |
| 2003 | The trip now moves to Haiti for the first time. Most of us are shocked when we see the conditions in Haiti. We are welcomed at St Joseph’s House for our lodgings. The group works in Cite Soleil,a malnutrition clinic, and Mother Theresa’s Home for the Dying. We also become a registered charity. |
| 2004 | We return to Haiti and bring loads of school supplies. |
| 2005 | We return to Haiti with 22 people. We also received a grant from The Retired Teachers of Ontario of 4000 dollars to help build a kitchen for a school in Cite Soleil. |
| 2006 | As well as working at the regular centers we are now helping Haitians to build an elementary school in Cite Soleil. We also played a basketball game against the Cite Soleil All Stars. Sadly they won. |
| 2007 | A large group came with us this time. They are mostly unversity students but working adults are beginning to join us in larger numbers. Work continued on the school. |
| 2008 | The school progressed well and we helped the Haitians to buy a lot behind the school for a schoolyard. U.N.troops seem to be everywhere and things were calm. Students are now in the school. |
| 2009 | We worked at the malnutrition clinic, a hospital in Cite Pele, Mother Theresa’s Home for the Dying, Wings of Hope and the school site. |
| 2010 | The earthquake shattered Port au Prince and other areas. We continued to work in the above areas. We had 28 people on the trip. The generosity of Canadians allowed us to continue to add to the school and we were able to help Haitians to build a shelter for 50 orphans from the earthquake. This was in an area outside of Croix De Bouquet. |
| 2011 | There were 18 participants on the trip and thankfully almost everyone came for two weeks.
Most of the participants work at the Malnutrition Clinic for dying and malnourished children. Others worked at the Brothers of Charity Hospital in Cite Pele. Others worked at the Sisters of Charity Aids Hospice. The roof was put on the school in Cite Soleil to create a high school on the second floor. A new school was begun in Cannen outside of Croix de Bouquet through the energy and passion of a young high school teacher from Toronto Secondary. It is on a hill overlooking a tent village. Volunteers brought suitcases full of necessities for individual families. Others brought large bags of soup mixes for community based nourishment. One volunteer is supporting a community based production of peanut butter for sale in the market. There are a growing number of relationships developing with many Haitians. |