Haiti 2014

Less than a week left till the group and I leave for Haiti. We are all super excited and ready! For the past few months, we have spent our Saturdays learning about the issues surrounding the theme of our trip, Microfinance, Healthcare, & Women as Agents of Development. We have talked about things ranging from the role of international aid agencies in countries, such as Haiti, to understanding our own personal privileges.  I believe that we have come to a consensus that this trip will not make us suddenly humanitarians, but rather it is a step in the direction of allowing us to become active global citizens. From this trip, personally I hope to build connections with some of the individuals we will meet and from there provide assistance in any way I can once we are back in the states.

During the trip, we hope to avoid becoming voluntourist during our trip and focus on learning more about the different topics we talked about during our pre-trip trainings. By physically being in Haiti, we will be able to put the different things we have learned from the readings we have done, specifically Jonathon Katz’s book entitled, The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left behind a Disaster, the presentations of our peers, and the conversation fostered around the issues of our theme into a tangible form by interacting with the very people we have been learning about. Upon our return, I hope to continue the relationships we build and become proxies for change in Haiti.