Blogging hiatuses, new jobs and earthquakes.

I have been on blogging hiatus as I just started a new job and have been busy at work. Now I begin anew, but unfortunately under sad circumstance.

December had me living for four weeks in a region in Haiti four hours southwest of the epicenter of yesterday’s earthquake — what was perhaps the deadliest in the country’s history. Before traveling to Haiti I was already well-versed in the country’s history of political and environmental instability. The poorest country in the western hemisphere, Haiti has been overwhelmed by disasters of all kinds, most recently the bombardment of four hurricanes that left the country bereft of tens of thousands of homes and 80% of its agricultural crop. Its infrastructure was already in a weakened spot when yesterday’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit.

I have been working for an international community development non-profit called Haiti Projects, which aims to alleviate poverty in the rural Fond des Blancs region of the country. The organization has a number of different programs including a family planning clinic, community library, and Women’s Cooperative. I work primarily with the Cooperative, which provides much needed employment for over 80 women. The women work as a collective and make handcrafted knit and embroidered goods. The work of the organization has been incredibly successful in alleviating poverty in the region and was recently awarded an Allende Foundation Award alongside Partners in Health for its innovative work in community and economic development. Haiti Projects was also recognized in a front page feature of the Boston Globe. I have been incredibly excited about my new work and was thrilled to be able to travel to Haiti in December. I feel blessed that I was able to visit and see the beauty of the country and now deeply saddened and worried about the fates of the people whose lives touched me, however briefly, during my visit.

The President of the organization, Sarah Hackett, with whom I stayed when I was there in December, remains in Fond des Blancs. Emails to us back home have confirmed that she is alright but information on the damage to the region of Fond des Blancs and the well-being of our co-workers and their families and friends remains limited. I will try to update when I can on news from Fond des Blancs.

If you are interested in supporting Haiti Projects you can do so on our website. Additionally, if you are interested in supporting the earthquake relief effort in Haiti, donate to the American Red Cross International Relief Fund. Your support is incredibly appreciated in this time of immense need.

I have posted some photos below of my time in Haiti, which I was hoping to post with stories in a more light-hearted time. For now, I hope they shed some light on the beauty of the Haitian culture and its people and allow you to feel a little more connected to this tragedy that feels both so far away and so close to home.