Change

"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or works to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a little ripple of hope...and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples to build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance"
Robert Kennedy

I must admit that before the earthquake Haiti was not on my radar..although it is the poorest country in "the Americas" and a short 2 hour plane ride from Miami it was never really a place I had given much thought too. That of course has changed in the last 2 months. Many of you have sent me emails and kind words about the work I am doing here and I appreciate them but I think that for me Haiti is a reflection of what I am not seeing in my life back home. Although we have the "luxury" of a relatively stable social safety net the thing that my time here has shown me is that I need to be more involved in my community, take more pride in it and work to improve not only the world but my own backyard...

Time and time again the issue here has been raised in conversation that in order for there to be lasting change for the people of Haiti the will and determination needs to come from within. And for me I think it lies within the children of Haiti. It lies in the Kenny's who have to fight everyday for survival, the Emmanuals who will face a lifetime of judgement based upon how he looks and in the Wony's who all have the ability and only need the opportunity to move a nation...

I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing people down here all wanting to help this country get back not to the place it was before the earthquake but to a better place...One of the people I met down here said it best for me (sorry for "borrowing" your thoughts Bill but I am giving you credit :)) the rebuilding of Haiti is not something that will occur over the next few months or years but it will require a generation to change..it doesn't mean that it shouldn't start now and on the truck the other day it was nice to see CATS out clearing away rubble, men rebuilding a wall and people using whatever means necessary to start the clean up!! But this will be a long time in the building and I for one will be sure that Haiti as well as my own backyard stays on my radar for a long time to come...

Lise