Konbit Pou Ayiti

Fourteen people from Massachusetts and New York will be joining KONPAY in January 2008 for ten days in Jacmel, Haiti's Carnival capital. Read a feature article about them in the Gloucester Daily Times. View their wish list for donations they will brig with them.

The trip will include cultural and social activities with KONPAY's Haitian staff and associates from partner projects such as the Jenn pou Devlopman Syvadye/Youth for the Development of Cyvadier (JDS) and the Kolektif pou Atis de Jakmel/Collective for the Artists of Jacmel (CFAJ). The delegates share a desire to learn about Haiti from Haitians, and KONPAY will facilitate meetings with historians, artists, and journalists and act as cultural and language interpreters to encourage cross-cultural exchanges throughout the trip.

Every group visiting Haiti with KONPAY brings a donation with them and contributes to some community service opportunity. Each traveler brings a suitcase of first aid and art materials on the way down, and world-famous Jacmelian art on the way home! The service opportunity for this group is tailored to the special needs and interests of the participants. They will teach English and volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity at the hospice, and opportunities to get their hands dirty planting trees are always available!

The personal motivations within this group for coming to Haiti vary. If you are interested in reading more about the delegates, visit Elise's blog page for periodic entries. What happens to the adventure-seeker? The Paul Farmer enthusiast? The culture-file? The activist? Stay tuned!