February 4, 2010
Temple University Ambler, Bright Hall Lounge, 580 Meetinghouse Road
Wednesday, February 17, 5:30 p.m. (Postponed from an earlier date)
We have all seen the horror that the January 12, 7.0 magnitude earthquake has wrought on the country of Haiti. For most of us, it has been through the devastating images presented by the nightly news or cable news stations such as CNN.
For two students at Temple University Ambler, however, the tragedy has been much more personal.
Marie Pradel, a junior in Temple’s Health Professions program, clearly recalls her father rushing into her room on January 12 to tell her of the disaster that had struck the country she had lived in until she was 10-years-old — she has several relatives living there still, including uncles, aunts, grandparents, and cousins.
“My father had said a tsunami had hit Haiti — the country was actually under a tsunami watch after the earthquake. I rushed out of my room with visions of the tsunami that had happened in the Indian Ocean (in 2004), put on CNN, and saw what was happening,” she said. “It was unbelievable; I never dreamed something like this could happen in Haiti.”
Trevor Sell, a junior in the Landscape Architecture program, felt the tremors of the massive earthquake right below his feet. Working with the non-profit organization “Feed My Sheep” on an ongoing reforestation project in Montrouis, just 40 miles north of Port-au-Prince, he immediately knew something serious had taken place, but didn’t know the extent of the devastation until the next day.
“The earthquake knocked down a few buildings and there were a few deaths in Montrouis, but everyone in the town had family in Port-au-Prince — everyone was affected,” he said. “We were able to pick up CNN using a generator and see how far reaching the disaster was.”
 Several days later, Sell was able to return home on a U.S. military plane, but intends to return to Haiti in June to continue his reforestation project in Montrouis.
In an effort to help look beyond the tragedy and truly understand Haiti and its people, on Wednesday, February 17, Sell and Pradel will present a multimedia presentation sharing their personal experiences in Haiti. Pradel will explore Haiti from a cultural perspective while Sell will examine ongoing service efforts in the country, particularly the reforestation efforts he has been involved with. Donations will be gratefully accepted during the event, which will go toward ongoing efforts by Feed My Sheep (www.feedmysheep-ministries.org) in Haiti. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 5:30 p.m., in Bright Hall Lounge.
Pradel said she hopes to provide a different perspective on Haiti.
“You see Haiti on TV and the images you see are often about how people are always in need. Haiti is a poor country with a political climate that affects everyone’s lives, but I led a very normal childhood,” said Pradel, a student worker at the Ambler Campus and a member of the Ambler Chapter of PA SWAT (Pennsylvania Students Working Against Tobacco) and the Haitian Student Organization at Temple’s Main Campus. “I had a lot of friends; I went to school and got a very good education; I was always around family. It was nice. I want to share my culture, the Haiti that I know.”
Pradel said she has heard from her family still in Haiti, mostly through social networks, such as Facebook, which have proven invaluable tools to maintain contact during this tragedy.
“When I first started talking with my cousin, she talked about the bodies and the collapsed buildings. You see Port-au-Prince on the news, but my hometown (Jacmel) hadn’t received any help yet,” she said. “Part of the hospital had collapsed; I was just at that hospital two years ago. They were using generators to perform surgery before the earthquake; now they were trying to take care of people outside.”
Sell, a member of Ambler’s Jubilee student organization who also works in the campus Recreation Center, said he’s hoping to change people’s perceptions of Haiti during the February 17 event.
“There are a lot of false perceptions of the country. Many feel it’s an extremely dangerous place but it’s not that way at all,” he said. “Everyone we have met has been very peaceful and social — you can meet a stranger on the street and strike up a conversation. They are very welcoming and friendly and we’ve made some very strong connections there.”
 According to Sell, the reforestation project that he has been involved with in Montrouis through Feed My Sheep began nearly a year ago with the acquisition of 1,100 seedlings and educational seminars in Haiti on how to plant, maintain, and reforest the community.
“In subsequent visits, we were able to set up a nursery and drip irrigation system,” he said. “The goal is to empower the local villages and promote better livelihoods. The citizens have been very receptive and motivated; they’ve been great to work with.”
Pradel said while the people of Haiti continue to need food, water, and medical supplies following the earthquake, “they also need opportunities.”
“They need to have opportunities to work, opportunities to rebuild,” she said. “I’ve talked to my cousins and they are still sleeping outside — so many people don’t have homes anymore. You have to give everyone something to do, somewhere to start.”
This program is sponsored by the Office of Student Life. For more information, please call the Office of Student Life at 267-468-8425.
CONTACT: James Duffy, 267-468-8108, duffyj@temple.edu, release available by e-mail
|
