Where in the World

It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon when a nation crumbled. The streets were crowded with merchants selling their goods to those heading home for the night. At one University, the first session of classes had just released for the day while the second group of students were already on campus. Of those 2,700 students, only 700 survived the 7.0 ricter scale earthquake that shattered the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

More than 300,000 Haitians were trampled to death by the ruins of the city; many more were trapped in the rubble for days and even weeks. The world watched in horror as the dust settled and the total devastation was realized.

The earthquake on January 12, 2010 brought even more chaos to Haiti – already the poorest nation in the western hemisphere; burdened with years of government corruption, immense poverty and overwhelming struggles. It was estimated that nearly 1 million Haitians were left homeless. The world took notice, and many jumped to help those affected recover from the devastation.

In late May of this year, I was so lucky to visit Port-au-Prince on behalf of my company (Solae/DuPont) to see the efforts of our donations along with other organizations like World Soy Foundation (WSF), University of Illinois’ National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) and the Illinois Soybean Association. Together we gathered resources, collected corporate donations and partnered with Food for the Poor to bring soy to many children suffering from the devastation of the earthquake.

Yes, I’m helping to make the tasty soymilk!

Specifically, the joint effort brought soy to a home for disabled children called “Home for the Little Children of Jesus” where 90 mentally and physically challenged children are cared for on a full-time basis, many who are now orphans. Staff members at the home were eager to demonstrate what they have learned, and to offer tastings of their soymilk. I’ll be honest, I was very pleasantly surprised by how great the soymilk tasted!

I truly enjoyed my time in Haiti and would definitely return. Haiti is a nation of beautiful people, who endure and persevere in an environment often overrun with chaos and filth. These photos are just a small sample of what the streets look like.

My very favorite memory of Haiti was my visit to an all girls school. We were honored guests for a lunch celebration. I was so impressed by the behavior of the girls and how they took care of each other. After lunch, a local DJ started playing tunes and the girls went wild. It was so fun to see their beautiful faces full of smiles and laughter while they moved to the music. Seeing their joy in that moment absolutely solidified my love for music and showed how powerful music can be and how essential it is for the human spirit.

Yes, I had to get out there and shake my bon bon!

One thing I will NOT miss about Haiti is the traffic. We want out one day for 3 meetings. I figured we were in our meetings for a total of 3 hours…yet we were gone for 9 hours. That means we spent 6 hours in the car. YIKES, thank God I don’t get car sick!

I hope for a day when Haiti can recover not only from the earthquake, but also from years of corruption and chaos. I hope for a day when tourism is simple, safe, and inviting. The people of Haiti deserve it!