Campus AID
A weeklong event, Paix Et Amor (Peace and Love): Students for Haiti, was held on campus in April. Among the fundraisers and activities was a food tasting of dishes from Haiti and the West Indies.
With some 230,000 fatalities and an estimated 1.5-plus million Haitians affected by the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, the Southern community has launched a multipronged relief effort, SCSU 365. The goal, says Southern’s Associate Dean of Student Affairs Aaron Washington, is to provide an
Southern’s Associate Dean of Student Affairs Aaron Washington is a guiding force behind SCSU 365, a yearlong effort to help the people of Haiti.
active reminder to members of the campus community to commit to aiding the survivors — and to do so for a whole year. “Haiti was already extremely poor,” says Washington of the nation, the most impoverished in the Western Hemisphere. “So for an earthquake to hit, it was the worst thing that could happen.” A campus committee offers a platform from which clubs and organizations can build their relief efforts. Assistance is offered with the design and organization of the fundraising events, as well as publicity. The students are responsible for running the events. About 25 campus organizations and departments have committed to raising funds for Haiti thus far — and the number continues to grow. One of the first groups to join the effort was Zeta Delta Epsilon, an honors service society, and many others quickly followed suit. A wide variety of events — including hip hop concerts, bake sales, and awareness walks — have been held on campus to benefit the Haiti Relief Fund. And more are on the horizon. In addition, a photographic exhibit, “Earthquake in Haiti: The First 10 Days,” is being held at Southern’s Multicultural Center located in the Michael J. Adanti Student Center. The exhibit, which
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espite tremendous obstacles, Haiti Marycare has made great strides. Working with the community, the organization established a medical clinic staffed by local health care workers. Hundreds of children have been vaccinated, and through education and the distribution of safe birth kits, Haiti Marycare has greatly improved maternal-child health in the areas it serves. Efforts also have been made to improve subsistence farming and fishing, and to support programs that spur economic self-sufficiency. “We like to see a reachable goal and there are reachable goals,” says Malone of efforts to enhance education, healthcare, production of food, and the supply of safe water. But Malone also notes that the world tends to focus on Haiti primarily during
times of disaster. “It’s only when the blood is running,” she says. The 2010 earthquake — the worst in Haiti in the last 200 years — certainly captured the world’s focus. The U.S. Department of State estimates $11.5 billion in damages and reconstruction costs. The associated statistics are staggering: an estimated 230,000 deaths and approximately one million people displaced within the Port-au-Prince area. Soon after the quake, Haiti Marycare sent medical supplies. Then, in early February, Malone joined volunteer medical personnel who were making the trip. Her job: to translate and provide trauma counseling. “Everybody is either grieving or worried sick,” says Malone. “I think there’s
Based on a plan devised by the Peace Corps, Haiti Marycare provides expectant mothers who come to the clinic for prenatal care with a safe childbirth kit. It includes a clean string for tying off the umbilical cord, a new razor blade for cutting the cord, gauze pads, and other basic items that have made childbirth much safer.
nothing more satisfying than helping strong people who are in dreadful situations.” Malone, who loves the Haitian people, says it was one of her toughest trips.“I think the reason I could get through it is because there’s such intense satisfaction in being useful,” says Malone, who has four grown children and six grandchildren. “Haiti is a part of my life.” It is a life she came to through education. When Malone began college after continues on page 34
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