Unless you've been living under a rock, you will have heard that in January, there was a massive earthquake in Haiti. Haiti, which was already the poorest country in the western hemisphere, is utterly devastated and relief workers have been dispatched from all over the world to begin trying to piece the country together again.
I'm a 23-year-old woman who comes from a privileged background and is looking to get her master's in public health, specifically in community health. I felt like I should do something and what I wanted to do was to go to Haiti as a volunteer. However, I was worried about cost and being useless, and in early February, I elected not to go. Except that I couldn't stop thinking about Haiti: I kept reading as much as I could about recovery efforts, about future planning, and about Haiti's history. I speak some French and started to look into learning a bit of Kreyol.
And then I saw pictures of Haiti, taken by employees of Global Health Action, which is based here in Atlanta, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I signed up with Global Volunteer Network, and I leave for Haiti on May 4th. I will be there for three weeks, working either in an orphanage or in an IDP camp in Jacmel. Details to follow, but in the meantime, I am gathering gear and preparing myself as much as possible.
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