History is about informing people about yesterday in order to change today and tomorrow. Earlier this year, we studied Haiti’s tumultuous past as a French colony of slaves who overcame Napoleon’s army to gain independence. The story of Haiti’s history is incomplete without understanding the roots of Haitian pride, stemming from the fight against tyranny and oppression, not only against the French, but against their own corrupt regimes. While Haiti was strong enough to protect itself from outside attack, the country was not able to handle deterioration from the inside as well. This, coupled with January’s devastating earthquake, leaves Haiti forced to confront both its catastrophic loss and its historical demons. Although the national pride of Haiti will live on forever, the country itself has required help for some time, and we finally have a clear-cut way to give back.
An idea emerged from our discussions. WE, as a class, should help Haiti. Learning about the world as a global ‘whole’, so to speak, has inspired us to care about the world beyond our own and helped us to see that we can make positive change, even as young people. We decided that we want to focus our efforts on providing direct aid to the children of Haiti. Being at a similar stage in our lives, this cause in particular has called out to us. Though clearly we cannot comprehend the trauma and heartbreak that these children have experienced, we have understanding of what it's like to grow up fresh in our minds. We feel all the more related and connected to helping out these children as we learn about the amount of growing up they have had to do in such a short amount of time. To that end, we have launched a project at Hunter through which we plan to raise funds to go directly to the Global Orphan Project.
The Global Orphan Project transforms lives by caring for more than 3,500 orphaned and abandoned children in fourteen of the most desperate countries in the world. The GO Project uses a unique, community-based model, partnering with local leaders to provide children with a house “momma,” or caregiver, a safe place to live, two meals a day, an education, and access to medical care. GO also recognizes economic development as a way to reduce the number of orphans in the world. They help launch local businesses that provide jobs and training. Finally, due to a few donors that cover overhead costs, 100% of your donation will go directly to provide care for the children. For more information about the Global Orphan Project, you can go to their website: http://theglobalorphanproject.org/ .
Here’s our plan: each one of us is going to find 10 people to donate $10 each. Why just $10? We want to show that it doesn’t take thousands of dollars to make a difference. We want to create a network of people who care. With $10 you can help us raise funds and create a network of caring individuals dedicated to effecting positive and sustainable change for Haiti’s young people, all the while becoming part of it yourself.
Feel free to pass this on, and go for 10 for $10 as well. After all, what’s global about keeping things to yourself? Please mail your checks of $10 (or more, don’t feel limited!) with the form attached below to Lindsey Stolarsky at Hunter College High School. You can contact our teacher with any questions or concerns at 646-963-6300 or lstolars@hccs.hunter.cuny.edu.
Thank you for your support!
Lindsey Stolarsky’s 9th grade Global History Classes
