The following post by university president Tracy Fitzsimmons was published as an editorial in the Winchester Star, Saturday, April 3.
This week, Haitian President Rene Preval and senior officials from around the world met at an International Donor Conference at the United Nations to discuss short- and long-term support for Haiti.
Having just returned from Haiti two weeks ago, I can attest that the situation there continues to be dire. More than one million people are still homeless after the earthquake and half a million people are being fed through public food lines. That means that nearly 10 percent of the population is sleeping in a tent or on the streets, and 5 percent have no ability to provide food for themselves or their families.
Even in the face of such immediate human suffering, however, the international community needs to begin shifting its focus from basic humanitarian aid to the re-building of Haiti.
An estimated 4,200 schools have collapsed or been damaged beyond repair. Many churches are destroyed. And nearly every significant government building is in rubble. Quite simply, there is no place to educate, govern, or worship. How can we ever hope for stability and democracy for Haiti without such public spaces?
Yet the Haitian people are resilient and full of hope. They believe deeply that their capital city — and their lives — can and should be re-built. Even as they continue to mourn their dead and sleep on the streets, they are worshipping in outdoor church services, planning to re-open schools in tents, and holding steadfast to the belief that from suffering comes opportunity.
Right now in Haiti, one of the most popular songs (written by a Shenandoah University alumnus!) is called “N’a Leve.” It says, “We will rise, we will stand up, we will dry the tears from our eyes . . . suffering brings opportunity . . . hand in hand, with God guiding us . . . we will make our country beautiful.”
At this time of year, I am mindful that the Easter story of death and re-birth holds lessons not only for each of us, but for how we think of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
The devastation in Haiti is awe-inspiring. Everyone has a friend or family member who was killed. Yet this is the time to dwell not on the destruction in Haiti, but on the possibilities of resurrection for that country. The global community has a chance to help re-build the country and help its people to emerge with better livelihoods and hope for a stable future.
From death, comes life. Just this week, the only known copy of Haiti’s declaration of independence was discovered in a British archive, reminding the country of its moment of birth.
If Haiti is indeed to be re-built, it will be because international support continues. But it does not have to be done all through governmental support. Nearly half of all U.S. households have donated to Haitian earthquake relief thus far, according to government estimates. Now is the time for American individuals and organizations to take it to the next level. Without one-to-one partnerships, school-to-school and church-to-church, the rebuilding of Haiti will take decades.
Here at Shenandoah University, we are doing our part. The university has committed to help the College Catherine Flon in Carrefour, Haiti reopen and rebuild. Catherine Flon, a K-12 school, was largely destroyed by the earthquake. It serves a mostly low-income population and has a reputation for graduating students who become upstanding citizens employed as police officers, teachers, and mid-level government workers.
Most immediately, we are helping the school secure large tents and supplies with which to start up temporarily while the rubble of its buildings is cleared. As well, we have begun to collect funds to help them re-construct their buildings.
Reaching out to our fellow global citizens is a long-standing tradition at Shenandoah and part of the university’s core values. Our students, faculty, and staff have been actively involved in service projects and mission work for decades, from providing health care to underserved communities in Nicaragua to assisting residents of the Gulf Coast in rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.
For Shenandoah, the connection with this Haitian school is significant because it is the school that our two current SU students from Haiti attended and where their father is the principal.
The goal for the Shenandoah team that traveled to Haiti in March was to listen to the dreams and needs of the principal, faculty, and students of the College Catherine Flon and to understand its role in the community.
As one Haitian man explained to me, “Everyone here in Carrefour is watching what happens with College Catherine Flon. If it rebuilds and opens again, then it will give the rest of us hope. If they rebuild, then so will many others.”
That school has earned a leadership position in the community because of its good work. They don’t need Shenandoah to tell them what to do, but they do need assistance in achieving those goals in this challenging post-earthquake environment.
On one chalkboard in a partially collapsed building at the College Catherine Flon, the quote-of-the-day for Jan. 12 remains: Tant vaut l'école, tant vaut la nation, or “As the schools go, so goes the nation.” Indeed, without a concerted effort to begin to rebuild the schools, places of worship, and government buildings soon, the rainy season will wash away Haiti's best possibilities to come out of this earthquake stronger than before.
I invite local citizens and organizations to join Shenandoah’s effort to rebuild the College Catherine Flon. Whether it is $5 or $50,000, I pledge that 100 percent of any funds donated will go to help rebuild that school and to get those 5,000 kids in Carrefour back in classes. That’s a good investment in their education, and a small step for Haitian democracy. And as Easter approaches, it’s a symbolic gesture of resurrection.
Shenandoah University is collecting funds but will not use operating or tuition funds for this project. To join this effort, send a check to “Shenandoah University-Haiti School” to 1460 University Drive, Winchester, Va. 22601.
Having just returned from Haiti two weeks ago, I can attest that the situation there continues to be dire. More than one million people are still homeless after the earthquake and half a million people are being fed through public food lines. That means that nearly 10 percent of the population is sleeping in a tent or on the streets, and 5 percent have no ability to provide food for themselves or their families.
Even in the face of such immediate human suffering, however, the international community needs to begin shifting its focus from basic humanitarian aid to the re-building of Haiti.
An estimated 4,200 schools have collapsed or been damaged beyond repair. Many churches are destroyed. And nearly every significant government building is in rubble. Quite simply, there is no place to educate, govern, or worship. How can we ever hope for stability and democracy for Haiti without such public spaces?
Yet the Haitian people are resilient and full of hope. They believe deeply that their capital city — and their lives — can and should be re-built. Even as they continue to mourn their dead and sleep on the streets, they are worshipping in outdoor church services, planning to re-open schools in tents, and holding steadfast to the belief that from suffering comes opportunity.
Right now in Haiti, one of the most popular songs (written by a Shenandoah University alumnus!) is called “N’a Leve.” It says, “We will rise, we will stand up, we will dry the tears from our eyes . . . suffering brings opportunity . . . hand in hand, with God guiding us . . . we will make our country beautiful.”
At this time of year, I am mindful that the Easter story of death and re-birth holds lessons not only for each of us, but for how we think of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
The devastation in Haiti is awe-inspiring. Everyone has a friend or family member who was killed. Yet this is the time to dwell not on the destruction in Haiti, but on the possibilities of resurrection for that country. The global community has a chance to help re-build the country and help its people to emerge with better livelihoods and hope for a stable future.
From death, comes life. Just this week, the only known copy of Haiti’s declaration of independence was discovered in a British archive, reminding the country of its moment of birth.
If Haiti is indeed to be re-built, it will be because international support continues. But it does not have to be done all through governmental support. Nearly half of all U.S. households have donated to Haitian earthquake relief thus far, according to government estimates. Now is the time for American individuals and organizations to take it to the next level. Without one-to-one partnerships, school-to-school and church-to-church, the rebuilding of Haiti will take decades.
Here at Shenandoah University, we are doing our part. The university has committed to help the College Catherine Flon in Carrefour, Haiti reopen and rebuild. Catherine Flon, a K-12 school, was largely destroyed by the earthquake. It serves a mostly low-income population and has a reputation for graduating students who become upstanding citizens employed as police officers, teachers, and mid-level government workers.
Most immediately, we are helping the school secure large tents and supplies with which to start up temporarily while the rubble of its buildings is cleared. As well, we have begun to collect funds to help them re-construct their buildings.
Reaching out to our fellow global citizens is a long-standing tradition at Shenandoah and part of the university’s core values. Our students, faculty, and staff have been actively involved in service projects and mission work for decades, from providing health care to underserved communities in Nicaragua to assisting residents of the Gulf Coast in rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.
For Shenandoah, the connection with this Haitian school is significant because it is the school that our two current SU students from Haiti attended and where their father is the principal.
The goal for the Shenandoah team that traveled to Haiti in March was to listen to the dreams and needs of the principal, faculty, and students of the College Catherine Flon and to understand its role in the community.
As one Haitian man explained to me, “Everyone here in Carrefour is watching what happens with College Catherine Flon. If it rebuilds and opens again, then it will give the rest of us hope. If they rebuild, then so will many others.”
That school has earned a leadership position in the community because of its good work. They don’t need Shenandoah to tell them what to do, but they do need assistance in achieving those goals in this challenging post-earthquake environment.
On one chalkboard in a partially collapsed building at the College Catherine Flon, the quote-of-the-day for Jan. 12 remains: Tant vaut l'école, tant vaut la nation, or “As the schools go, so goes the nation.” Indeed, without a concerted effort to begin to rebuild the schools, places of worship, and government buildings soon, the rainy season will wash away Haiti's best possibilities to come out of this earthquake stronger than before.
I invite local citizens and organizations to join Shenandoah’s effort to rebuild the College Catherine Flon. Whether it is $5 or $50,000, I pledge that 100 percent of any funds donated will go to help rebuild that school and to get those 5,000 kids in Carrefour back in classes. That’s a good investment in their education, and a small step for Haitian democracy. And as Easter approaches, it’s a symbolic gesture of resurrection.
Shenandoah University is collecting funds but will not use operating or tuition funds for this project. To join this effort, send a check to “Shenandoah University-Haiti School” to 1460 University Drive, Winchester, Va. 22601.
No comments:
Post a Comment