Haiti Family Initiative

Haiti Family Initiative
Summer of 2013

In the winter of 2010, Nadiv and Lynn Shapira, from Wilmington, DE, made their way to Jacmel, Haiti to offer medical treatment to the many people who suffered injuries from the devastating earthquake. Lynn was so moved by the devastation and the poverty that she started the Haiti family Initiative when she returned to the USA.

Now in its fourth year, HFI offers a yearly summer Wellness Program.  The people of Jacmel are offered free medical care, a women's empowerment group and a camp for the children.

The program is run by volunteers from the United States and around the world. These volunteers are supported by translators from the Foreign Language Institute, an English language school started by a group of young men, dedicated to helping Haiti.

This summer, I was asked to spend the entire five weeks in Jacmel, with the intent of mentoring the translators so that they may some day take over all of the responsibilities of running the children's camp and the women's group.

I am grateful to have had such a rich opportunity.