As the dust settles from the earthquake in Haiti, Campus Ministry has been busy planning event, raising funds and discussing what St. Edward’s University can do to help.

“I believe that it’s our duty as people to come together and help each other in desperate times of need,” Annette Balderas, a senior and secretary of Bilingual Education Student Organization, said. “We welcome any other organizations who would like to get involved, [as well as] any individuals.”

Since the earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, St. Edward’s has raised approximately $4,200 in aid for the country from collections at Sunday masses, sporting events and student organization events. However, this is only the first step, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry Liza Manjarrez said.

The next step is a week-long, campus-wide “Hilltoppers Helping Haiti” event. Though the event is still in its planning stages, Campus Ministry is aiming to reach out to more than 200 student groups, host a benefit concert and sell T-shirts.

Campus Ministry also hopes to partner with local restaurants in a “Dine-Out for Haiti” night, where a percentage of the participating restaurants’ profits would go to relief efforts in Haiti.

“The Red Cross is having trouble getting supplies—actual things—down to Haiti. We could collect things, but we have no way of getting them down there,” Manjarrez said. “We were on a call from the Council for Foreign Affairs, and basically what they said is their greatest need right now is for the people of Haiti to be able to get money.”

Manjarrez said the camps of internally displaced people, like the ones the Red Cross has set up to house Haitian refugees, are associated with increased violence and disease. Some people have expressed that they are reluctant to live in these camps for those reasons.

“If you’re in a place where there are between three and four hundred people on their lawn, it’s a lot more difficult to get those donations to them,” Manjarrez said. “Do you take people out of this place, where they feel really safe, but you’re struggling to provide for them? Or do you send them to internally displaced people’s camps?”

Hoping to solve these infrastructural and safety problems, Campus Ministry is corresponding with the Holy Cross Congregation stationed in Haiti. All donations will go directly to Holy Cross brothers, sisters and priests currently working in the country.

To keep students dedicated to helping Haiti, Campus Ministry plans to include periodic updates in St. Edward’s Student E-News and other newsletters. E-mails from the congregation members in Haiti may be featured in a “Spotlight of Holy Cross on the Ground.” An Alternative Spring Break delegation could also be dedicated to rebuilding homes and businesses in Haiti.

“We’ve never really gotten it right in Haiti as an international community,” Manjarrez said. “From this terrible experience can come a really amazing rebirth for the country of Haiti, and we can be a part of that. Every little bit will help, so get out there and be a part of the change.”

Senior Elba Moise had family in Haiti at the time of the earthquake.

“I remember calling everyone that I knew, asking for people to help out in some way,” Moise said. “Simply spreading the word that people need to come together for a good cause is helpful.”

Manjarrez said that devoting a week to helping Haiti is a start, but not enough on its own. She hopes that students will stay mindful of the situation even after the attention begins to fade in the media spotlight.

“We [the Holy Cross Congregation] have people who have been in Haiti since 1944, and all of our brothers [in Haiti] are Haitian except for three of them,” said Manjarrez. “They’re not going anywhere. This is their home.”

 

[email protected]