Haiti... My first time.

I've been an Officer/Representative of One-Truck Inc since day one. I had zero experience in disaster relief or humanitarian aid, but I agreed to an administrative position with the organization based solely on my desire to "help the cause" in some way following the devastation of the earthquake AND my friendship/trust in Cosmo and his experience in these efforts across the globe for a good portion of his life.

Even after seeing the "on the ground" One-Truck photos, videos, and hearing the stories---nothing prepared me for the experience I had last month in Haiti. To start, I have absolutely zero comprehension of the French language and my Spanish isn't much better (mui piquito). Luckily our partner Pierre (a college educated Tilory, Haiti native) was available to re-lay information from One-Truck directly to the residents of these communities. Cosmo, of course, is the master of the Spanish language, so when in the Dominican Republic--we were golden. Interestingly enough, I left Haiti feeling pretty decent about my French comprehension skills. I had become so accustomed to "reading" the eyes of the residents and studying their body language, I quickly found that I could begin to understand their emotions just by spending time with them throughout the days as we attended community council meetings, held sanitation education classes, and began our construction process.

The people of Tilory (where we spent the majority of our October trip, and where we're spearheading several new community projects) are resilient. They're enormously appreciative of anything and everything. They're eager to learn new and innovative ways to live healthier and find sustainability within their community. They understand their water is dirty, and they understand that that's why people are getting sick. But no one has ever offered them an alternative way to live and we feel like they deserve that opportunity. The children alone deserve that opportunity.

The impact these children had on me is what struck me the most about the entire trip. These babies don't ask to be born into a world of famine and poverty. They don't asked to be born into a world where their parents might orphan them at an early age and leave them fending for themselves. For this reason, I am most excited about the Tilory Orphan School Project that One-Truck has decided must take priority in this community. This school of 100+ orphans of all ages has been shut down for almost a year due to poor building structure, no roof, and a complete lack of supplies. This is a refuge for children that have no where to go. Most, if not all of them, have their one and only meal of the day here. It is our responsibility at One-Truck to see this school refurbished and reopened as quickly as possible. Fortunately, this is something we can do for little cost by pooling our resources and continuing our fund raising efforts.

As we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season, we must force ourselves to take a moment and look around at the things we're most thankful for in our lives. More importantly the things we tend to take for granted: a place to live, clean water, food, clothing, education for our children. One-Truck has found itself in the unique position of having the opportunity to make some powerful changes in the lives of the residents of this small community. Changes that will impact the future of their children, and changes that we can implement at a very small cost. Please consider making a tax deductible donation of ANY amount here.

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