Category: Rachelle

Earthquake Aftermath: One Boy's Happy Ending

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Photo taken by Mary Peterson and edited by Rachelle Boyer
Photo taken by Mary Peterson and edited by Rachelle Boyer

While we must be careful not to minimize the sad truth of all that was lost on January 12, 2010, I want to end my blog with a story of hope for the future. For so many children living in Haiti, that day changed their lives forever, and this is no exception for one orphan boy named Will. However, the difference for Will was that the change brought on by the earthquake was for the better, not the worse.

Beth Peterson had decided to adopt Will a year before the earthquake hit, after meeting and falling in love with him at her parent’s orphanage in Haiti. However, as is often the case with foreign adoptions, the adoption process was moving very slowly and Beth and her husband were not making much progress. A week before the earthquake, Beth was thinking they still had two more years before Will would be allowed to leave.

However, after the earthquake hit, the orphanage where Will lived was damaged and all the kids, like so many others in Haiti, began sleeping outside in tents. Beth knew the conditions for Will were growing worse and decided to act right away. Luckily in the wake of this disaster, she was able to work with US agencies, the American Embassy in Haiti, and Haitian government officials to bring Will home safely after only a week.

Will’s case is a happy, however, uncommon one for the thousands of orphans still living in Haiti, and as time continues to elapse, it’s important we remember those still feeling the effects of the earthquake. This blog has helped to open my eyes to all that is needed in order to ensure a happy ending for not just Will, but all of Haiti.

Slideshow of Will and his new family.

Video of Will’s Story

Lending a Hand to Haiti, No Matter How Small

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Symbols of local efforts to help raise money for Haiti
Symbols of local efforts to help raise money for Haiti

In my previous posts, I have talked about the government or big organizations helping raise money for the Haitian relief effort, but there are many other efforts going on, on a much smaller scale that desreve to be mentioned as well. Younger adults especially, who have ties of their own to Haiti have done what they can to get the word out and rasie support for the Haitian people.

I myself, with my parents and siblings living in Port-au-Prince Haiti, have raised money be going around and talking to the sororites and fraternities on campus.  Another haitian student here at Furman, Fabien Vorbe, who also happens to be on the varsity soccer team help set up a fundrasier for Haiti as well. When I asked him how about this soccer extravanza put on to raise money for the earthquake relief he said,

“It was nice seeing how many people actually came out to support the cause. It was fun and helped out my people a the same time. Even though I can’t be in Haiti right now helping, I feel like this is helping too. “

Students playing soccer during Haiti Extravaganza (media credit: Stephen Meyer)
Students playing soccer during Haiti Extravaganza (media credit: Stephen Meyer)

Other students from schools all over have held similar events, telling their own personal story of their connection to Haiti and getting their friends and classamtes to help out. One of my friends who attends school in New York had T-shirts sold and printed with all proceeds going to Haiti. Another one of my friends went around and spoke to local businesses asking for donations and raised over $2,000. 

There is no requirement for lending a hand, and no donation is too small. Haiti needs help and everyone can do something.

Rachelle Audio bite

The American Kids of Haiti

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Group of high school students from QCS, many have left Haiti since the eathquake hit.
Group of high school students from QCS, many have left Haiti since the eathquake hit.

In the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti the focus in the media, understandably so,  has been on how it  has affected the population of poor Haitians.  However, there are a number of American families currently living in Haiti who have felt the effects of this natural disaster as well. The kids of these families have been forced to grow up quickly and make sacrifices including leaving those they know and love.

I know for my own family who is currently living in Port-au-Prince, this earthquake has been a curve-ball thrown into their lives, and deciding what it best for my little brother and sister has been difficult and emotinally taxing. For my little sister and brother, and so many other American students attending school in Haiti just like them, this earthquake has stopped them from having the high school experience they planned and hoped for.

There has always been a large American presence in Haiti with four American schools in Port-au-Prince alone. The one my little brother and sister attend is called Quisqueya Christian School (QCS) and many children of Americans working and living in Haiti attend school there. The school was shut down for about a month after the earthquake hit and has since reopened but with a much smaller student body. The earthquake forced many families to return to the states for many reasons including:

  • their homes being destroyed
  • loss of their jobs due to damage
  •  not feeling safe
  • wanting their children not to miss too much school

Over 80% of Quisqueya’s student body has left Haiti and many families have been split up as a result of this natural disaster. In the following interview you will hear from my little brother (Jonathan) who is currently living in Clemson, SC with my grandparents and attending high school there, while the rest of my family (Mom, Dad, and sister-Rebekah) remains in Port-au-Prince.

Jonathan’s Interview

Picture slideshow of QCS students

Sending the "Right Message"

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haiti text

It should come as no surprise that one of the most effective ways of raising money for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, has been through text donations. Leading the group on money raised via texts is American Red Cross who has already raised over 22 million dollars from texts alone with that number growing every day. The way it works is you send a one word text from your phone to a specific number (for example texting “HAITI” to 90999 for the Red Cross) and a certain amount (usually $10 ) is added to your phone bill at the end of the month. Its simple, easy, and quick, but it makes a huge difference for the people in Haiti who really need it.

While The American Red Cross leads in the amount of money donated via texts, it is certainly not the only organization using this tactic. Other popular numbers for text donations include:

  • Yele Foundation (By texting “YELE” to 501501)
  • Clinton Foundation (By texting “HAITI” to 20222)
  • World Vision (By texting “WORLD” to 20222)
  • Salvation Army (By texting “HAITI” to 52000)

Through these groups and many others there has been a huge and successful response to this national texting campaign, with money continuing to be raised daily. And other communication mediums are being widely used as well to bring in donations as well. Commercialscontinue to run on TV and play on the radio encouraging people to donate to various relief efforts and many messages are being sent online as well, through websites like twitter and facebook, adding to the donation totals.  American people seem to really want to help the people of Haiti during this time of crisis and through all the different types of donation tools avaliable they should be able to find a way to.  For the Haitians, every dollar counts and every message sent can help to rebuild there country and provide for its people.

So, have you sent the right message yet?

To see photos of relief efforts going on in Haiti click here.

Singing "Hope for Haiti"

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What do you get when you mix major broadcast networks with major celebrities for an international Television event? One of the biggest showcases America has seen thus far, put on to help with the Haitian Earthquake relief effort. On Friday Jan 22nd, beginning at 8 pm ET, 11 American networks along with over 2o musical artists and many other celebrities joined together in a worldwide telethon entitled “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief”  to help raise money for the victims of the earthquake. The Event was hosted by Haitian-born entertainer Wyclef Jean in New York, along with George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper live from Haiti. The charity event included appeals for donations from many Hollywood A-listers and performances from major artists such as:

  • Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Shakira, and Sting in New York City
  • Alica Keys, Dave Matthews Band, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, and Taylor Swift in Los Angelos
  • Coldplay, Bono, Jay-Z, and Rhianna in London

It was quite the star studded event and the results of the telethon speak for itself. Through this international broadcast Hope for Haiti charities have reportedly raised over 58 million dollars and are still continuing to take donations. This amount sets the record for money raised by a disaster relief telethon. However, the broadcast was about much more than the performances and the money raised, it was about showing to world the great need of the Haitian people, and through the low key presentation (there was no audience present and no applause at the end of each song) this goal was achieved.  The focus of the night was not the music but  videos showing the destruction in Haiti and stories talking about how the Haitian people continue to grow and find hope through it all.  So while the concert definitely lived up to its title, bringing hope to the Haitian people, Americans watching the program took something away from it as well:  a sense of sheer admiration and sympathy for the Haitian people.

Disaster Strikes in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

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On Tuesday January 12th at 4:53 pm our neighboring country of Haiti experienced a catastrophic event that would change her forever. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 hit near the capital city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti leaving 230, 000 dead, 300,000 injured, and over a million homeless. Over 90% of the nations buildings were damaged or destroyed, including many government and public buildings, hospitals, and schools. Immediately when news broke of this disaster, American media began to cover the story in depth and as a result many Americans and American organizations have contributed a great deal to the relief effort. Some top contributors include:

Many celebrities and other prominent figures in US media have also contributed their time and efforts to Haiti relief.  President Barak Obama responded at once promising to use US funds and military to help with relief effort, and also employing former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton to hop on board by starting their own ClintonBushHaitiFund. At first most relief efforts were focused on rescuing Haitians still trapped in the debris, but when the Haitian government Continue reading “Disaster Strikes in Port-au-Prince, Haiti”

Haiti Earthquake: America Responds

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My blog will monitor Americans and Haitians response to the Haiti Earthquake and relief efforts in the US media. The goals of my blog will be to detect which responses have been the most effective, and trace areas of tension and collaboration among the United States and the republic of Haiti with regards to the relief effort. To answer these questions I will watch a news program and read an article once a week on the efforts America has in Haiti. I will also choose one other media outlet per week (such as a blog or YouTube video) that has a specific person’s reaction to the American earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Finally I will interview members of my family (both American and Haitian) who live in Haiti on how they feel about American response towards earthquake relief.