"There Is a Lot That I Want to Do": Reflections on the Relief Efforts in Haiti

Abstract

In October 2010, Harvard Educational Review editor Raygine DiAquoi interviewed Maryse Desgrottes, the mother of a close friend and a visible presence in the relief efforts in Petit Goave, Haiti. Desgrottes, a former physician's assistant turned educator and school superintendent, shares the story of her involvement in Haiti's relief efforts since the January 12, 2010, earthquake. Her story takes us from the initial terror and trauma of the first tremors to the present condition of the Haitian people. In her role as founder of the Henri Gerard Desgranges Foundation, which provides education and medical care to the town's people, Desgrottes reflects on the importance of education in the midst of disaster and the role that her school has played in the lives of Petit Goave's children and families. She also discusses the importance of partnerships with foreign organizations and the delicate balance between helping and hurting after a disaster. Desgrottes travels to Haiti every few months to monitor the rebuilding of the École Village Lucina. Currently, this school serves two hundred children, including a number of students who were orphaned by the earthquake. As the final touches are added to the new school building, Desgrottes looks ahead to the future of the students. Her story reveals themes of the importance of culture, sovereignty,and strength in the face of disaster.