Community Members Share Haiti Experiences

July 12 is the six-month marker for the Haiti earthquake and, while the headlines have faded, the local community has remained involved by raising money for relief efforts and traveling to the disaster-torn region to help repair places like Port-au-Prince.

North Branford resident Susan Warner-Lambert has just returned from a one-week-trip to Haiti. As the manager of photography for Save the Children, Warner-Lambert has spent the past 15 years assigning photographers to document Save the Children's efforts, but this was the first time she had the chance to be on the ground in Haiti.

She has contributed a photo gallery (see right) to this website. You can peruse her snapshots, which document Save the Children's work of promoting health, education, and livelihood of Haitian people.

Of the more than 1,100 staff working with Save the Children in Haiti, Warner-Lambert says the majority is a Haitian. She's happy to report that her experience in Haiti has consisted of capturing a country working to help get itself back on its feet.

In late February, midwife Susan Miller ventured to Jacmel, Haiti, to help launch a birthing center with the group Bumi Sehat. During her month-long stay and in between providing health care to pregnant mothers and delivering babies, Miller took the time to blog for The Sound's website, www.zip06.com. Miller's blogs were also used in classrooms as teaching tools for students at Madison's Jeffrey School and Island Avenue School.

This month, another Madison resident, Peter Loden, has traveled to Haiti—this trip marks his 11th since 2001—with the non-profit Haitian Ministries for the Archiocese of Norwich, Inc.

When the earthquake struck, Haitian Ministries' Mission House was completely destroyed. Loden's visit this time around is for the purpose of rebuilding and ensuring new starts.

Loden said, "There's a saying that you can leave Haiti, but Haiti can't leave you. It's constantly on your mind."

While on his trip, Loden has been blogging about his work, which he calls helping Haitians to help Haitians. You can read his blogs linked to the right.

We welcome you to share your thoughts and comments with Warner-Lambert and Loden online in the community contribution sections of North Branford and Madison.

If you're headed abroad for charitable work or if just want to share your summer vacation with the community, The Sound encourages you to log on to www.zip06.com to upload photos, blogs, and video documenting your great adventure. Consider your participation your chance to share what life is like beyond your hometown with your neighbors, friends, and family.