In response to the January earthquake in Haiti, many members of the SMFA community are involving themselves in events and fundraisers to support the rebuilding efforts in the devastated country. Alumna Selena Rhine (BFA '03) was in Port-au-Prince during the catastrophe; her story follows below.
As a student of Haitian folkloric dance, Selena traveled to Haiti many times. In January 2010, she returned to Port-au-Prince with her mother and stepfather, both lawyers and active in human rights work in Haiti. They met with various grassroots organizations and took testimonies from victims of human rights abuses. Four days into their trip, the earthquake hit.
For the next 48 hours, her family worked with Jean Yvon Kernizan, head of their Haitian host family, to help injured and frightened neighbors—offering very basic medical care and cooking hot meals. Witnessing the destruction first hand, Selena realized just how long the road to recovery would be for the Haitian people. She felt strongly about helping the Haitian people in a meaningful and direct way.
Selena is organizing an event in New York in support of Pou Soley Leve, Haiti Hot Food Initiative, an organization founded and directed by Yvon and his wife Beverly. Before the earthquake, the organization provided reduced-priced meals to over 1000 people each day, from four sites throughout Cite Soleil. This event will help support a revised version of Pou Soley Leve's hot food program, to provide meals to 500 people a day and empower Haitians to begin strategizing and re-building.
For more information about Selena's Haiti Hot Food Initiative and Pou Soley Leve follow these links.
Haiti Hot Food Initiave Facebook Group
Haiti Hot Food Initiative Fundraiser–Thursday, January 28
Pou Soley Leve Web site
Photo by Selena Rhine
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