Stepping in the direction of her dreams, Michele discovered Haitian heroes of the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Leogane, Haiti.
"Take the first step. You do not need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today, Leogane
Today, Léogâne;
by Michele V. Sare
Nurses for Nurses International
Introduction
It has taken me a year – and being back in Haiti for the one year anniversary of the earthquake – to be able to tell you this story.
The stories that come out of Haiti don’t show you the true heart of Haitians.
Standing there, sharing in the memorial at the mass graves in Léogâne, I was flooded with the memories of so many brave, kind, lovely people….babies, children, women and men…that I had the privilege to work with and care for on those dark days in 2010. I knew that some of those dear people were here – under the random scattering of large rocks that marked their final resting place. I knew then, that you would not know their stories unless I told you. It was time to tell the remarkable stories of the beautiful people of Léogâne, Haiti.
I fell in love with so many people on January 12, 2010 – in the terrible, dark days that followed…and on my return trips to Haiti since…
It isn’t about what we do for, or give to Haiti; it is about what Haiti has to give the world.
I hope that my story will help you to see the powerful and beautiful heart that is Haiti.
I want to honor my experiences and the wonderful Haitians who I worked with on January 12, 2010 and in the week that followed. I want you to know the truth of Haiti – to know who the real heroes were through those dark days – who continue to be everyday heroes. I want to give voice to the voiceless – and to illuminate our common humanity.
In my work, I strive to empower nurses – the largest healthcare workforce world-wide - so that they can better care for their families, friends, neighbors and communities. I believe that 15 million nurses have the power to heal the world!
We are helping nurses to go back to school – student nurses like beautiful Nadine who was not able to finish nursing school because she lost her family on January 12th; we are helping to provide improved education and continuing education to students and working nurses by developing and providing culturally congruent curriculum; we are working with Haiti’s Director of Nursing at the Ministry of Public Health and Population to strengthen nursing there; we have worked to get basic immunizations to nurses; and we have provided nursing texts and supplies.
Helping in Haiti can’t be about what we do to or for them. It has to be about helping Haitians to actualize their own ideas and dreams – to help them to heal their own country.
At Nurses for Nurses International we are dedicated to helping the largest healthcare workforce in the world. We believe that the power of care is stronger than all of her antagonists.
To buy a copy of Today, Leogane please go to: http://www.todayleogane.com
The eBook is ~300 pages - 7" x 10" format - approximately 4 MB
Available on Kindle, and in ePub or PDF formats.
Cost: $9.99
sare.michele@gmail.com