As a nation already struggling with poverty, Haiti was not prepared for an earthquake of the magnitude that struck Port-Au-Prince on Jan. 12. The earth-quake caused the death of an estimated 200,000 Haitians and destroyed the homes of around 2,000,000 people, leaving the country shattered and broken.

One of the many foundations that jumped at the opportunity to help rebuild Haiti was the American-Haitian Bon Zami (AHBZ), which translates to “The American-Haitian Friendship” from Creole. The AHBZ is an organization that allows volunteers to go first-hand into the epicenter of Haitian destruction and help repair the lives of the Haitian people. The co-presidents of the AHBZ are Carl and Carole Vorst. Theyss currently have 150 volunteers in Haiti. The three branches of outreach in Haiti of the AHBZ are the House of Hope, which is for orphaned girls; Patti’s School, which educates the orphans of the House of Hope; and the House of Hope Clinic, which is a basic medical treatment facility.

Partnering with the AHBZ during early August, ten volunteers from St. Louis, including 2010 FHN graduate Thom Loeffler, were able to stay at the House of Hope. Loeffler, along with the other volunteers, had to sleep on the roof of the orphanage because there was not any room left in the shelter. While staying at the House of Hope, Loeffler helped with various projects such as providing food and clothing for each of the 27 orphans. He made trips to tent cities that were massive camp like areas of displaced people. “It was really sad meeting people in the tent cities that had nothing but a hand full of rice to feed their families,” Loeffler said. “I even heard of people who didn’t have enough food that were forced to eat dirt. It’s sad that they starve while we can just go whenever we want to a McDonald’s. I learned that we take everything for granted. Here everything is so easy.”

Another person helping repair the damage with AHBZ in Haiti is Paul Clark. Clark, who was once a volunteer and intern for the House of Hope, has permanently moved to Haiti in order to fill the new position of English and Sports teacher at Patti’s School. Patti’s School currently holds 90 children, who come from the House of Hope orphanage and the local tent cities. The AHBZ and its volunteers have done a lot to repair the broken lives of Haitians, but there are still more struggles to overcome. To help with the effort, Loeffler plans on volunteering again in January.

“It was really sad to leave the girls,” Loeffler said. “It changed me a lot and I learned a lot about what it means to love and to give.”

Christy Maupin

For more information on volunteering for the Amer-Haitain Bon Zami, visit them at their website.