Fleurs d'Haiti

Donating money to Haiti right now is the best way for us each to help in our own small way. I donated to Partner's in Health, an organization run by an old friend Ophelia Dahl. Ophelia has worked with PIH for the past twenty years as well as worked closely with the founder, Paul Farmer. Paul's work is the subject of Tracy Kidder's 2003 book Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World.

Partner's in Health mission statement:

Whatever it takes
At its root, our mission is both medical and moral. It is based on solidarity, rather than charity alone. When a person in Peru, or Siberia, or rural Haiti falls ill, PIH uses all of the means at our disposal to make them well—from pressuring drug manufacturers, to lobbying policy makers, to providing medical care and social services. Whatever it takes. Just as we would do if a member of our own family—or we ourselves—were ill.

Still searching for a way to use my creativity to help Haiti, I found an answer in my new friend, Rebecca Sower. I got to know Rebecca this past November while we were both teaching at Silver Bella in Omaha. Rebecca has been visiting Haiti for years and supports an organization named Haiti by Hand . Rebecca goes down to Haiti and sits and teaches crafting skills to help empower women to bring in their own income to provide for their children and families. When she returned from Haiti this past month, Rebecca opened an etsy shop showcasing handcrafted pieces created by this group of artisans in Haiti. Since the terrible earthquake destruction a week ago, Rebecca has sent out a call to artisans throughout the United States. Haiti By Hand will now host a community of artisans who are donating their work to be sold with all sales going directly to Haiti By Hand.

I knew this was the perfect way for me to donate my creativity and to make a small impact somewhere in Haiti - with the help of Rebecca. I just sent off a dozen Fleurs d'Haiti bracelet kits to the Haiti By Hand etsy shop as well as the above finished bracelet to be auctioned off. If you would like to purchase a bracelet kit - which will help a group of Haitian artisans survive right now - please keep an eye out for the kits on the Haiti By Hand etsy site. I am hoping Rebecca sells out of the kits and I have to make up another box next week! Merci!