Nearly 4,000 schools were forced to close after the catastrophic 2010 earthquake flattened Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti still relies on foreign aid several years later to carry on.

Beehive International, an Adventist humanitarian organization, is building a school that will teach Haitians the skills to build infrastructures and sustain themselves through agriculture. After weighing several options, the Associated Students of Walla Walla University Global Service Department decided to partner with Beehive International for their annual service project.

The ASWWU Global Service team named their campaign “On This Rock,” and they hope to raise $60,000 during the 2017-2018 academic year to support Beehive International’s mission. With these funds, the organization will be able to further develop their trade school in Bohoc, Haiti, and help locals support themselves.

“A lot of development work has been done in Haiti since the earthquake, but most of it has been short-term disaster relief,” said ASWWU Global Service director Karisa Ing, a senior international development major. “This project is going to … provide sustainable, long-term development for people in Haiti for many years to come.”  

Over the summer, a few ASWWU leaders visited Haiti to see Beehive International’s 32-acre property and witness the positive effects of their existing woodshop training program. Now, ASWWU Global Service has a six-member team that’s working from College Place to meet the year-end goal for “On This Rock.” In addition to Ing, there are two event coordinators, a logistics coordinator, a PR coordinator, and a designer.

More information about “On This Rock” and a link to donate can be found on ASWWU’s website, and updates are shared on the ASWWU Global Service Facebook and Instagram pages.

Watch ASWWU Video’s recap of the students’ trip to Haiti last summer.

Posted Nov. 16, 2017