Haiti Archives - Wanderboomer

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A year ago I introduced wanderboomers to Passports with Purpose, a fundraising organization started by four members of the travel blogging community: Debbie Dubrow, Michelle Duffy, Pam Mandel and Beth Whitman.

The four were motivated by a desire to bring the travel blogging community together and as Pam explains, “to make the places we’ve been better.” Since its inception in 2008, the organization has exceeded its goals every year, raising a total of over $150,000. so far to fund such projects as two libraries in Zambia (2011), housing for 25 families in southern India (2010), a school in rural Cambodia (2009), and Heifer International (2008).

If you have ever travelled to a developing country, no doubt you, too, have wondered what you could do to help improve the lives of people who live there. The good news is that Passports with Purpose has made it easy for the rest of us by doing in-depth research on causes that help people in poverty, especially women and children.

This year, the organization is supporting Water.org with a goal of raising $100,000. to fund 5 wells for two rural communities in Haiti where half the population lack access to clean water and only 1 in 5 residents have access to a sanitary toilet.

Here’s how you can help. Donate a gift of only $10.00 (or more, if you’d like!) between now and December 11th to give hope, health and a brighter future to the people of Haiti. Plus, each $10.00 donation gives you the chance to win a prize of your choice, ranging from clothing, electronics, gift certificates and hotel stays! For a complete list of prizes, click here.

** All photos courtesy of Passports with Purpose.org.

Led by Expedia, the 2012 sponsors for this year’s fundraiser also include Tripit, TBEX, HomeAway, Travellerspoint, Hostelbookers and GoWithOh.

Please consider donating to Passports with Purpose 2012, wanderboomers. Help us spread the good word by sharing with your friends and social media communities! Many thanks!

Have you ever traveled to Haiti, wanderboomers? Please share your story with us here.

Wanderboomers love to travel for a host of reasons: to see the world, meet new people, visit far-flung places, learn about other cultures, and/or to make a difference in the lives of others.

Two years after the cataclysmic 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the work to bring medical care, food, clothing and shelter to the country’s inhabitants continues. For one Seattle woman, Sarah Pierre-Louis, and her Haitian husband Adrien, caring for the children who survived the disaster has become a personal mission with the loss of their niece who died in the quake.

Tent City in Haiti

After leaving a successful sales career in corporate America, Pierre-Louis began researching and applying for grants to support their cause. The couple founded their charity, Children, the Future of Haiti, with the purpose of helping “one orphanage at a time to make sure kids have the basics,” says Pierre-Louis. “If the children don’t get the education and healthcare they need, they’ll be slaves in their own country.” Once the children’s basic needs are met, their next goal is to build schools to keep kids off the streets and prevent kid trafficking.

View of Port-au-Prince

Although Sarah and Adrien’s mission began immediately on the heels of the earthquake, their charity received legal status as an independent non-profit organization in March 2011 thanks to the efforts of their VP, Christina Barone. Since then they have partnered with Kettelyne Polinice, the director of an orphanage located in Petionville, Haiti near their family home. The 29 children living here range from 3 to 17 years of age. In some cases, the children have no parents. Others may only have one parent or two parents, neither of whom can afford to care for the child, because even if the parents survived, their businesses did not.

So far the foundation members have delivered appliances, clothing and medical supplies to the orphanage but are in need of bed linens and towels, shoes and more clothing for the children. Additional fundraising efforts are focused on raising money for toilets, school tuition and mandatory uniforms for the children to be able to attend school.

Sarah with Haitian Children

* All photo credits courtesy of Sarah Pierre-Louis.

What about you, Wanderboomers? How are you making a difference through your travels?

Passports with Purpose 2012 Needs You!

Making a Difference: Destination Haiti

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