Konbit Pou Ayiti

When the leadership committe of the Youth for the Development of Cyvadier (JDS) began discussing Earth Day last week, none of the young people had ever heard of the celebration before. We struggled to find the right translation and settled on "Selebrasyon de Tè", or Celebration of the Earth to translate literally.  The group immediately wanted to plan an event to coincide with the international day to celebrate our planet.

 Another global event that the young people were learning about for the first time is the recent "Earth Hour" where major cities throughout Asia turn off all electricity for an hour on the last Saturday in March (learn more at www.earthhour2008.com). We laughed and decided that the people of Jacmel and Cyvadier also participated in Earth Hour last week, since we were in the midst of a seven day blackout at the time!

This year, JDS will celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2008 with an event celebrating the lives of the trees they have already distributed and planted here in Cyvadier. Wearing green t-shirts and anything else green they can find, the young people will split into groups and head out into the village to evaluate the success rate of trees they've planted since they began last year. They will share advice for maintenance with the trees' owners and then will gather back at the JDS tree nursery to share th results of the their evaluations and enjoy a meal commemorating the earth.

Are you planning an event for Earth Day this year? Add a comment and tell us about it. If not, why don't you plan a dinner party at your house? Use local products if you can, and share the story of JDS and its efforts to make Haiti greener with your guests.