now where to start? i want this to be a place that i can keep everyone updated on where i am, what im doing, and my thoughts. right now, i am focused on Haiti. i am more than ready to be down there now, it has been on my heart since i heard about the earthquake in january. many of you know that i was traveling europe when it happened and seriously contemplated going straight from there down to help out. unfortunately that did not happen, but i was privileged to go down and work with medishare (projectmedishare.org) in may. one time just wasnt enough for me so i went back down in august and worked with samaritans purse (www.samaritanspurse.org) and MMRC (mmrcglobal.org). all of these organizations are amazing and definitely worth looking into.
lets go way back...or back some time in my life. as most of you know I have been blessed to be able to travel the world and to help people all over with anything and everything that I am capable of. i love my job, i love that i have the opportunity to travel and work as a nurse, and to truly help people that are in need. right now I think that Haiti is a place that I would like to spend some of my time. they are in so much need, simple things as food, clothes, shelter...the things that you and I take for granted every single day in the United States are very hard to find over there.
i have lots of friends in Haiti right now, when I go down I plan to work with MMRC. check them out! It started with two guys who were rejected by the Red Cross and other organization to help right after the earthquake because they didnt have any medical background. they both gave up everything here in the states (they both had their own businesses) and have been down there since january. if you ask anyone down there who Big Paul and Little Paul are, they are sure to know these two. There was a great article written about them in Mens Journal last month, (http://www.mensjournal.com/haiti-cowboy-emts) read it! otherwise ill also be working the University of Miami/Project Medishare.
A few facts about Haiti:
-over 50% of Haiti’s population is school age
-the literacy rate is less than 50%
-approximately 70% of the people live in poverty, with an average annual income of $400 per year
-15% of all children in Haiti are orphaned or abandoned (“practically orphaned”). Most estimates put the number of orphans in Haiti prior to the January 2010 earthquake at about 380,000. Experts now estimate that the number of orphans has doubled to about 750,000 since the earthquake.
enough for now...
