On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck and devastated the island nation of Haïti. In 35 seconds, over 300,000 people lost their lives and more than 1.5 million lost their homes. We came because of the earthquake. We stayed because of the people.
We created Community2Community (C2C), a non-profit service organization in May 2010, to give the Haitian Diaspora and those with a heart for Haïti a platform to come together and share their expertise in a variety of areas – from education to medicine and from carpentry to communications – toward C2C’s goal of establishing lasting change in Haïti, and ultimately, other communities by working with indigenous leadership on the ground.
There are many communities of resilient, hard-working people within Haïti. They are industrious, humble, vibrant, hospitable people who are not looking for handouts, but rather for partnership and the tools to create change and an opportunity to experience the basic life essentials of good health, a home, employment and education for their children and themselves. They are not unlike anyone in the world who desires a good and fulfilling life. These fundamental necessities should not be met solely at special occasions, but rather incorporated as a normal routine of life.
FIRST-STOP: PETIT GOÂVE, HAÏTI
The work has already begun. C2C has a team on the ground in Haïti that is supporting current efforts on the local level in the coastal town of Petit Goâve, just 42 miles from Port-Au-Prince. Our goal is to see the community’s vision realized and our mission accomplished.
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