Why I Help: My Reasons for Maintaining the Course for Long-Term Growth

The distance from Kansas City to Port-au-Prince is: 1950 Miles

(3138.2 Kilometers / 1693.3 Nautical Miles).  The approximate flight duration is 4 hrs, 3 mins.  I have never traveled to Haiti. I am not a former Peace Corp worker.  Matter of fact, I have never been on a mission trip.  I met a man and through this meeting, I understood that the plight of Haitians living in the poorest country in the western hemisphere.  I met someone who was born in Haiti, educated in Haiti, traveled to the United States for school; and works hard to support his family and is committed with great resolve to helping the children in NW West Haiti.  I am a former teacher; I know the extraordinary value of education.  Global entrepreneurship is born from education.  To be unbound by your environment is through a courageous attack on education and that is how to become tomorrow’s hope for Haiti.

Idalbert Joseph believes in education and does not hesitate to share his beliefs with those who will listen. I met Idalbert when taking a class to learn creole.  Relying on my broken French language to learn creole was a luxury.  It was quite a leap to think that one day, after learning creole, I would travel to Haiti and spend a week and make a difference.  How naive was I.  I have heard of the steep climb of commitment from others who have traveled to Haiti.  Some have fallen in love with the people of Haiti; some persevere with the thought that things will change for Haiti.

Wealth creation and sustainability are the new buzzwords but how to do this is sometimes unattainable.  Idalbert Joseph and Glory House Services have convinced me that staying the course and maintaining the focus on long-term development of wealth creation is through education and ingenuity.  On June 14th, a number of volunteers and interested parties across many organizations, churches, and not-for-profits will gather at Rockhurst University to network and learn from each other the effective strategies for working with the people of Haiti.  There are many lessons to be learned from our work in Haiti whether we are on the ground or approximately 2,000 miles away.  We still have good work to do in Haiti – join and support others doing good things on the ground.

Kathleen McCarther

Board Secretary

Glory House Services