Haitian Vacation
4/4/07

My 22-year-old son Tyrone and I set out, along with a dozen other Rotarians and young people, to do good work in the world. Our destination was Haiti - the poorest country in the western hemisphere. We came back much richer for the experience.

Together with a community of hard-working, dedicated Haitians, we helped build a home for a family of ten. Our job was to perform unskilled labor side by side with Haitian homebuilders and volunteers - hauling rock, mixing cement, digging ditches, and cutting wood. The people were warm and welcoming. The children treated us like rock stars.

Our experience was total immersion – eating goat and pumpkin soup, riding in truck beds on rocky dirt roads, housed four to a room. Water in our house worked rarely, and when the generator was functioning we had electricity for 2 ˝ hours in the evening. Our suitcases did not arrive for 4 days, so what we wore on the plane ride had to suffice for every occasion – from construction work in ninety-degree heat to events of great magnitude such as well openings.

As representatives of Rotary’s District 5950, in conjunction with Haiti Outreach and World Vision, we also stepped up to the role of dignitaries for two Pure Water Well openings. What an honor it was to share the joy of two village communities as they celebrated the auspicious occasion through music, dance, prayer and speechifying, commemorating this event of great magnitude in their community.

The week also was a tremendous education for us. We immersed ourselves in the history and culture of Haiti, visiting schools, marketplaces, private homes, and worshipping in church. It was an honor seeing firsthand the awesome work that Haiti Outreach does through the dedicated and heartfelt leadership of Dale Snyder and Neal Van Dyne, supported by their wonderful intern Walter James and the whole H.O. Team. The world is a better place because they are in it.

Never before have I experienced such a direct link of money improving people’s lives as I witnessed on my “Haitian Vacation.”

Go. Do. Be changed.


Betty Folliard
Golden Valley Rotary Foundation Chair
Golden Valley, MN


Contact Info:
Betty Folliard
bfolliard@strategypartners.biz