Tears for Haiti because I've been there

Lynae N.

January 17, 2010 - 9:44 PM

I've been to Haiti. I went there the summer after my freshman year of college to do some humanitarian work. I built houses; I worked with orphans and school children. I visited clinics, distributed food and clothing, and I got to know several amazing people who lived there. I was in Grand Guave, a small town about an hour from Port-au-prince by bus.

The news of Haiti struck me hard. I can't say I enjoyed the trip much when I went because there were a lot of complicating factors in my personal life that made the trip hard. However, I went and was struck by the massive poverty and squalid living situation of most of the people who lived there. I was also struck by their joy. They had so much joy and they did not need what we so often feel that we "need" in life. And they were beautiful. They have names just like we do, they have favorite foods, senses of fashion, go to work, and love their families. So when I heard about the earthquake this past week and when I looked at the heart wrenching pictures I remembered the names of the Hatians I met. This broke my heart. Somehow this disaster didn't feel so distant. It felt very close because I had a way to humanize the pictures I saw.

And here I am, safe in my house with my family. I have more than enough of everything, education, food, clothing, clean water, and all of these things that are so natural I don't even question them. The Haitians I met didn't have any of these luxuries to begin with and I can only imagine what life is like now when their two or three walled shacks are gone.

So what can I do? I have drawn a series of pictures from my trip and I have always wanted to sell prints of these pictures in order to raise money to give back to Haiti. But where can I go to do this? I don't have the money to put into the framing necessary right now and when I have donated artwork for causes in the past, often it cost me more to frame the silly pictures than was raised in selling them! But this is still a dream of mine. I have a gift to be able to draw and I'd love nothing more than to find some way to make some real money to donate to a real organization for Haiti.

Anyone have any ideas??????? Anyone want to buy a framed print?