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Haiti
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 12, 2010, killed an estimated 230,000 people and left 1.3 million homeless. The world has responded to this disaster with more than $10 billion in pledged aid, making Haiti one of the biggest-ever emergency aid recipients. The intent is to reshape the future of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country.

But big questions remain: How should this money be spent, and where? What should the new Haiti look like? And, most importantly, how can we ensure that all this aid creates lasting change? Many in the international aid community see Haiti, and the aid flowing into it, as a ground-breaking experiment. If large-scale aid can work in Haiti, Western nations may follow through on other pending aid commitments in other parts of the developing world.

Haiti stands in stark contrast to the Dominican Republic, its next-door neighbor. Haiti and the Dominican Republic occupy the same island, which was called La Isla Española, or later Hispaniola, when Columbus and his men waded ashore in 1492 and “discovered” the New World. Much of the challenges faced by Haiti and, to a certain extent, the Dominican Republic, can be traced back to the legacy of European colonialism, centuries of slavery and sugar cane plantations.

Global Issues Background
Poverty is endemic throughout Haiti and in many areas of the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, 80 percent live under the poverty line and 54 percent live in abject poverty. In the Dominican Republic, 30 percent of the population lives beneath the poverty line. In both countries, but especially in the Dominican Republic, wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few powerful families, many of whom own large tracts of agricultural lands.

As a result of the unique history of the island and other factors, there are long-standing economic, social and racial tensions between people from the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Haitian immigrants to the Dominican Republic are discriminated against and commonly live in segregated worker camps, or bateyes, where Haitians harvest sugar cane for minimal wages. The tensions between Dominicans and Haitians have been exacerbated by the 2010 earthquake, which is causing many Haitians to search for refuge in the Dominican Republic.

Requirements
Participants should have a satisfactory level of physical fitness in order to participate in manual labor and other physical activities, such as hiking and swimming.

Participants are required to complete all required World Leadership School forms, including the Application and Terms & Conditions, the Acknowledgment and Assumption of Risks & Release and Indemnity Agreement, and the Medical Form. As part of the application, participants must respond to a detailed questionnaire expressing their reasons for wanting to go on the trip.

Students should remain flexible to changing circumstances, delays and other hurdles that are common in Haiti. The specifics of volunteer work will be decided according to the needs of the community or organization shortly before the group’s in-country arrival.

Risk Management & Safety
 We strive to responsibly manage risks. Our itineraries minimize highway travel and maximize immersion in rural communities that we know well. We update our risk management protocols, integrate feedback into program design, and invest in safety and communication equipment. Despite these efforts, World Leadership School cannot guarantee safety nor can it eliminate the inherent and other risks of international student travel. For information regarding program activities and associated risks, risk management, and student and parent responsibilities, please contact us (303) 679-3412.