One year ago on January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti, close to Port-au-Prince. That quake caused widespread devastation and loss of life. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians and foreign nationals died or were injured in the quake’s aftermath (Source).
Following the earthquake and our visit to Haiti, a cholera outbreak hit the nation. Still, the people of Haiti have hope.
Entering the new year, ACCESS encourages you to support the ongoing relief efforts and to contribute to re-building and projects that will help the people of Haiti move forward. ACCESS continues to fund education projects in Haiti by sponsoring secondary and post-secondary students, to inspire the future generation of the nation.
Though one year later, many are still living in tent camps and some areas have remained in the same condition as they did after January 12 last year. On behalf of those we met in Haiti, we ask that you please lend your support to build a bright future for Haiti.
This Christmas Season, the Haiti August 2010 trip group is hosting a Dinner Fundraiser to support projects in Haiti. A major goal of this event is to help fund much-needed classroom construction in Jacmel, Haiti.
Continuing Christmas Bringing Hope to Haiti
Tuesday, December 28th at 6:30 PM
St. Christopher Catholic Church
1171 Clarkson Road, Mississauga
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 10 and are available in advance. Please email info@accesscharity.ca to obtain yours.
Help rebuild Haiti and continue the Christmas spirit this season!
Cards for the holidays are now available from ACCESS! Give the lasting gift of an education.
Simply purchase a card, specify a donation amount, and present the card to your loved ones this holiday season.
To order yours, please email info@accesscharity.ca. Payments are accepted online here (please specify quantity of cards) or by cheque payable to “ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.” (Note: tax receipts are unavailable).
Minimum donation of $10 per card. Shipping extra if required, pickup available.
Faces from Haiti: Portraits of a Country’s Hopeful Children is a 32-page softcover book featuring faces of children from Jacmel, Haiti. It will be available in late August 2010 for purchase, with proceeds going to ACCESS education projects in Haiti.
On a volunteer mission to Jacmel, Haiti from July 26 to August 4 2010, we witnessed and experienced a lot of the poverty, inequality, and problems that exist within this devastated country. We as students, along with the inhabitants of Haiti, can agree upon the notion that providing accessible education to children and young adults will have an impact on the way Haiti’s future will pan out.
ACCESS Charity will officially launch ACCESS U at Wilfrid Laurier University in the Fall 2010 school term in hopes of expanding our chances of mitigating the dearth of education in extant Haiti. The ACCESS U webpage can be visited here.
Interested in joining ACCESS U at Laurier? Email jon@accessu.ca to learn how to get involved today.
One of the very strong, main messages of the trip was that Education is the key to a better future for Haiti. Despite the incredible devastation and continued need for even food, Haitians (from the Bishop to the mothers living on the tent camps) respond with Education when asked about the important elements to their country’s success.
On behalf of ACCESS, Daniel and Jon had the had the opportunity to meet 4 high school students that our organization will be sponsoring for the year.
If you would like to contribute to fund years for these students, or sponsor additional students, please email us at info@accesscharity.ca.
Through various fundraising at local Toronto-area schools, ACCESS sponsors a university student in Haiti named Phanuel. We were able to meet Phanuel in person during the trip, with his parents, who came to Jacmel all the way from Port-Au-Prince.
With faith such a strong part of Haitian people, our Canadian group had the pleasure of being guests at the 100-year anniversary of Jan Batist Church in the mountains of Jacmel, Haiti. Jon’s vlog takes place outside the church after Mass.
Aminah provides an update on our group’s progress in preparing food packages with rice, beans, sugar and powdered-milk for families of the tent communities in Jacmel, where little and inconsistent aid has been going.
My most memorable part of our afternoon visit to Trinity House was the chance to view and buy the çhildren’s artwork.
Created by the boys who live in this group home (built for street children in the community of Jacmel, Haiti) the artwork was all original and colourfully created, each piece an expression of the young artists’ experiences and life in Haiti.
A few pieces really caught my eye, but one stood out and I was proud to be able to purchase it and support this talented young man. His painting is about a child dreaming and captures various visions, set in Haiti, that he experiences.
