Haiti - May 2012

This trip will change your life! We will be working in Cap Haitien, Haiti's second largest city. Our main project will be focused on adding more classrooms onto our school that ws started in May 2010. The school is located in a part of Cap Haitien called Calvaire. Calvaire is a very poor community situated on the side of a small mountain, and is home to approximately 1,000 people. The average income of a person living in Calvaire is about $2 - $3 dollars a day (Haiti's minimum wage is supposed to be $5 a day). Education is a powerful tool in ending the cycle of poverty! This community has been without a school until we arrived in 2010, and most people in the community are illiterate. Trapped in poverty, they were unable to afford the simple transportation costs to send their children to school down the mountain. It has not been easy to build a school in this community because of their steep location -  but we know that it is greatly needed and it will helpt to transform this community.Come help us as we equip the people of Calvaire with hope to face their future!

You must be 16 years and older to participate on this Hero Holiday. We require at least 10 participants in order for this trip to take place.

We do ask that all our participants read two books before traveling to Haiti: Foreign to Familiar by Sarah A. Lanier and Mountains beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder.

Trip Details

Trip Date:
May 5, 2012 to May 14, 2012

Sorry, this trip already happened!

See trip updates

Trip Updates

  • 1 year 1 week ago
    Had a great time as a team together last night. What a great team we have. Today everyone flies back to Canada. Thanks to everyone on the team for all their hard work and all their family, friends, and donors for all their support.
  • 1 year 1 week ago
    Off to see the sites in Port-au-Prince today.
  • 1 year 1 week ago
    Team is in Port-au-Prince. We are staying at the St. Joseph's Guesthouse. Just got back from a fun visit to an orphanage. Brought them lots of toys and love.
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    Hero Holiday Haiti team is off to see the Citadel, on of the largest and most well preserved historical sites in the western hemisphere. Google it! In the afternoon we are having a party up at the school. Lots of cake, games, and fun to be had!
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    Just got back from playing basketball. Good news we finished pouring the cement roof today!
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    Last day on the worksite. We didn't pour the cement roof yesterday but we built a retaining wall. We were saving the roof for today.
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    Second day on the worksite. Today we plan to pour the cement roof. Lots of cement to be mixed by hand.
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    On our Hero Holiday we also feel it is important to see the beauty that Haiti has to offer. The team is off to see the beaches of Labadee today. Just wait till you see these pictures. Haiti is amazing!!
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    First day on the worksite for our team!
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    Well, we are off to see the sites in Cap Haitien today on our awareness tour. Pictures to come tonight.
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    It was great getting to know our team last night. We have a wide variety of people... Everything from someone in the Norwegian army to an avid hip hop dancer to an owner of a one-eyed horse to a teacher of laughter yoga. We are going to have a great journey together.
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    Haiti has arrived safely to their hotel. Relaxing by the pool and waiting for a yummy Haitian meal. Let the fun begin!
  • 1 year 2 weeks ago
    Wow, the day has finally arrived! Off to the airport to pick up our fist team arriving into Port-au-Prince. Not until a grab a famous St. Joseph's cheese omelet. Will update again once we arrive safely in Cap Haitien.
  • 1 year 3 weeks ago
    Last day before the team arrives. Hope you brought lots of bug spray and enthusiasm. The children at the school are so excited to meet the "blancs" ("white people or foreigners). Off today to visit the orphanage and let them know our team is coming to see them! 1 more day... :)
  • 1 year 3 weeks ago
    Cole and I are just leaving Cap Haitien this morning to do some prep work in Port-au-Prince. Count down begins until the team gets here. 1.5 more days (ish)!! Can't wait to meet the team.
  • Live Updates
  • Itinerary
  • Projects
  • Security
  • Fundraising/Refunds

    • Shoutbox

    In the box below, you can leave a message to encourage the Hero Holiday participants on this trip, and participants can message you back! (time and internet access permitting)

    Blogs about this trip

    Haiti School Opening: How You Can Help!
    Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 16:42

    Haiti School Opening: How You Can Help!

    I remember so many first days of school, (come on they are not that far back for me to remember!) I remember the week before sharpening all my pencils, writing my name on all my binders, and picking out the outfit I would wear on my first day back. That day after Labour Day generally had a light crispness to it with the promise of fall about to begin and an excitement. My mom even use to sing the Christmas carol "It's the most wonderful time of year"!  But the thing I remember most is being excited to see all my friends again after a long but fun summer and to start playing school sports. Being educated was a given, something I really did take for granted. You often do not see the value in it until you meet someone who does have the same privileges. 

    schoolgirls

    Having a primary education is listed in the UN's Rights of a Child, and yet every year approximately 67 million children worldwide, many of them girls, do not receive this opportunity. Three years ago, when Live Different's Cole Brown (our Manager of Operation in the DR and Haiti) visited the mountain community of Calvaire in Cap Haitien, he found children who were a part of this astronomical number of uneducated children. He knew that Live Different needed to help and set out with the plans to help Calvaire. The first thing Live Different did was to buy the land for the school. The crazy thing was that to the naked eye it looked like we had just bought the side of a mountain, but as construction began, our work crews dug right in (literally!) and built a beautiful retaining wall and it all came into better focus. 

    retaining wall

    Construction began May 2010 and our first group of Hero Holidayers from Ft. McKay Native Reserve were there to do it! Since that first trip we have had 3 other teams come and complete 2 classrooms, washrooms, and an office (currently being used as another classroom). Construction has not been easy and is even primitive at times. For example, instead of using heavy machinery, our crews have dug and lit fires under boulders to make them easier to chip away. Nothing gets wasted though, because these rocks have been used to build the retaining walls around the school. Water for this project had to be brought by hand, mostly from a natural spring at the base of the mountain. On our trips, for fun, we get our volunteers who are up for it physically to do a "water run". It's hard! I had to do it with only half a bucket and still came to the school huffing and puffing as little children passed me with full buckets on their way to their homes (these kids do this up to 12 times a day!). Despite all these challenges and daunting tasks Live Different kept focused on the fact that our school would help in educating this community and aid in ending their cycle of poverty. Finally, in October of 2011, we began our first year of school!!! 

    pickaxe

    This October 9, 2012 was the first day of our second year running classes. Live Different partners with a Haitian charity called A.S.E.E.D.H. and this group oversees the day to day running of the school. They and our teachers believe in education and its strength in ending the cycle of poverty. It is so evident when you see them in action at the school how much they love and care for each of the students. Currently, we have 177 students enrolled for this 2012/2013 school year. There are grades JR Kindergarten to 5 being taught by 6 teachers, 1 Principal, 1 Administrator, and 2 Educational Assistants. Each child wears an adorable yellow and green uniforms. The subjects taught to the students are: Creole & French, math, social studies, science. 

    uniforms

    This school is truly making a difference in this poor mountainside community! Education is a key part in fighting poverty. Haiti may seem so far away from Canada, and sometimes you want to help but don't know how. Don't worry, it's easy to help! Here are some suggestions: 



    1. Partner with Live Different and donate to our school. There are lots of operating costs associated with the school (teacher's salaries, books, uniforms, supplies, water). Plus we need to build more classrooms too! http://livedifferent.com/donate
       
    2. Come on our May 2013 Haiti trip. Meet the children and be a physical part of building new classrooms. Registration and trip info:http://livedifferent.com/haiti
       
    3. Tell others about what we are doing! This is a story worth telling! Share this story on facebook or email it to your friends!


    These children are valuable. Their future is valuable and we want to see them become the men and women they were meant to be, and you can be a part of helping that happen!

    Nettie Brown
    Manager of Operations for Dominican Republic and Haiti

    A Wooden Bell
    Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 23:45

    A Wooden Bell

    As a previous Volunteer on Hero Holiday in Dominican Republic in 2010, I am so happy to be on my second Hero Holiday. I remember being in grade 9 sitting through my first Live Different Motivational Presentation. It blew my mind, but like many others I went on with my day and forgot all about it. When I was in grade 11, the same thing happened again, I was so interested in these trips they kept mentioning, and how little old me could actually go to Haiti myself and make a difference. It was right then and there in my high school cafeteria I decided I would set out to Live Different. And now I Live Different everyday. I am so excited to be here in Haiti. Right now I am on the roof of our guest house in Port-au-Prince, and I am enjoying wonderful laughter and music in the distance, as I sit here with a nice cool breeze and wind chimes all around me. But before I was able to sit here and enjoy all of this, I had to work REALLY hard the week before. 

    plane

    When we first arrived in Haiti we flew to Cap Haitien. There, we finished building the ceiling to the washrooms and to the principle's office/teachers lounge area. We also picked up some very heavy rocks. We had assembly lines to get them to the retaining wall we also helped start. We were able to work alongside incredible men who were so great at their jobs and so patient with us as we learned how to get things started. During recess we would take a break and play with the kids. It's always so fun to play with the kids because we need to know their faces and smiles so that when we look back on this trip, we think of them. I always had to put a child in my mind that I really wanted to see so that when I would be struggling up the hill to get to the school, it would be worth it.

    hill

    One young man in particular stood out to me the most. It was our last day on the work site, and I was having a really hard time getting up the hill because I was so exhausted. Wesley is his name. He would always hang out in front of our hotel and come with us to the work site and lend a hand - he was a volunteer just as much as we were. He became a part of the team and everybody loved him. He was far ahead of me up the hill and he was carrying the green soccer ball we always brought with us to use to play with the kids. He turned and saw me in the distance struggling to walk up. He walked down to me, reached out his hand and nodded his head to the top of the hill. How could I give up now? I put my hand in his and we walked together.

    boy

    Those moments are the ones that will stick with you forever, the good ones, the bad ones, the hard ones, and the painful ones. But the moment when you are supposed to be out there helping others and those others help you even more, that stays in the back of your head forever. When we arrived in Port-au-Prince we visited the orphanage, where it was hard for me to see so many kids so happy with what we gave them, even though they don't have parents. The kids were playing hop-scotch together, laughing, and having so much fun with the chalk they were playing with. I noticed their hop-scotch was a little small for their feet, and so I drew them out a big one; their eyes lit up, their smiles hit their ear lobes, and they were ready to play! One little girl grabbed my hands and she pulled me behind her a thousand times and we played as one. Hop-scotch was something I used to do in grade school as a kid, and I never thought I would be doing it in Haiti as an adult.

    kids

    When I come on these trips I am able to help the community, my friends, my family, etc. But the kids help me, change me, and love me more then I could ever feel or see or breathe or think in any place in Canada. As I sat with my roommate, looking at the nice art work in our hotel room, we came across this bell. Neetu read out loud the quote on the bell "No one listens to the cry of the poor or the sound of a wooden bell". She turned to me and said, "well, we do." With a smile on my face I agreed. I had an amazing experience here in Haiti, I am so sad it's going over soon, and I will hold it close to my heart forever. 

    - Cassandra, Participant, Live Different Hero Holiday Haiti

    Citadels, Twins, and Bubbles
    Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 23:17

    Citadels, Twins, and Bubbles

    As a third year Finance student at the University of British Columbia, the need for me to expand my horizons and widen my perspective has become almost imperative as I transition into my final year before graduation. Despite being a business major, I have always been fascinated by the rich history of many cultures and nations. Having played integral leadership roles on various on-campus clubs and volunteer initiatives within the community, I wanted the opportunity to help on an international scale and when I heard of Live Different's collaboration with UBC for a trip to a nation struggling to survive in poverty and being the poorest in the Western hemisphere, the choice became clear. Today I got to experience Haiti's Citadel and it is definitely something I will never forget. Seeing real cannons and cannonballs and dungeons above a 3000 foot mountain was extraordinary. However, I personally felt my hike up was an accomplishment all on its own. Despite being out of breath and sweating profusely after the hike, the breath-taking view and exceptional restoration of the Citadel makes the hike worth doing several times over.

    This afternoon we were able to finally celebrate our wrap up on what we had come here to start- an expansion on a school for one of the poorest communities in Cap Haitien. It was now finally our chance to celebrate this accomplishment with the teachers and workers who helped make it possible - along with the students themselves. I cannot express the joy that was felt when we were able to hand out cake to the students and teach them how to blow bubbles (which always causes quite the excitement and awe!) However, during my time I was fortunate enough to connect closely with a few students in particular. One specifically being a ten year old boy, one of a twin. On the day of the party, as he has always done before, he met me on the bottom of the makeshift steps to the school. He would grab my hand and help me up and then proceed to dust the dirt off of me before guiding us to his seat - always making sure no other kid, including his brother, stole me away from him. I must admit it was hard to hold back a tear saying my final goodbye to him, and the look on his face as I squeezed him goodbye indicated the feeling was deeply mutual. I wish him, his brother, and all the students at the school the deepest amount of luck and good will. I have never met students so eager and desperate to learn; whereas we in Canada, myself included, tend to take that opportunity for granted. I will never forget seeing all the students who would show up for classes in the oppressive heat despite terrible illnesses or in some cases, extreme hunger.

    As we left, I felt a certain level of pride to see the roof and retaining wall we had all struggled so hard to build.I have suffered from back problems for years and the buckets of cement that needed to be carried was definitely not an easy task. We were finally also able to raise the Haitian flag for the school. Seeing that flag rise and wave established a sense of hope; it solidified the emergence of education for these children who otherwise would not have had the opportunity. When walking away from today's community party, the one prevailing thought that continued to run through my mind was how much I felt these little Haitians had changed and helped me, when really I had thought I was coming to help them. Through my various associations on campus I hope to fundraise funds for this school as donations are still needed for windows, classrooms, etc.This small community in Cap Haitien will stay with me as I head back to Vancouver in the next few days and I think that a part of me will always stay there with them.

    Nina - Participant, Live Different Hero Holiday Haiti

     

    Bon aswe ki soti Haiti! (Good evening from Haiti!)
    Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 13:08

    Bon aswe ki soti Haiti! (Good evening from Haiti!)

    My name is Cedric, I am 22 years old, traveling to Haiti all the way from Norway. Co-writing this blog is David, who is 18 years old from Canada. We are both attending university/college in Canada, but are currently in Cap Haitien, Haiti, completing a building project for the school here in Calvaire. We both feel extremely proud to have lived through a life changing experience down here in Haiti, and to have completed the roof on the new school building today.

    roof

    Today was the last day of working on the school here in Cap Haitien. When we arrived on Monday, one part of the school stood without a roof and the foundation of the building had just been started. Being the last day on the worksite we all had one clear goal set in mind; finished the roof. ‘Roofing’ in Haiti is a very intricate but laboured job that will leave you exhausted. Being from Norway and Canada we have never seen roofs being done without the help of machinery or power tools. In Haiti, the process is done with minor tools such as buckets and shovels, and your bodies are used as the machinery in order to complete this process.
     
    cement
     
    In order to complete the roof the first priority is to mix the cement. Mixing cement in Haiti is a hard task to complete as you only have shovels and the bare ground to use as your tools. First sand has to be transported by hand up a small incline in the mountain and then the shovels are used to blend it with cement mix and water. Once the blending is completed, our group and the Haitian workers form an assembly line to transport it one bucket at a time up to the roof. When the cement reaches the roof, it is poured out on the roof where it is smoothed out and becomes dry within minutes. The process was very exhausting due to the intense heat, heavy lifting, and uneven ground. Also the danger of rain in Haiti’s tropical climate requires the process to be done at a high pace, as rain would ruin the cement. It was fascinating to see the contrast in how we struggled with the environmental natures, compared to the Haitian workers who were not even breaking a sweat after a hard days’ work. We also found it incredible how the language barrier was only a small hurdle to overcome. Communicating with the Haitian workers became gradually easier as they instructed us in Creole and we responded in English; thus, this allowed us to teach each other the languages. They were not only patient with us when we did not understand their instructions, but also extremely efficient when teaching us how to perform the duty. We are very proud of what we have accomplished here in Cap Haitien and it was great to see the finished product in the end. We encourage everybody who is reading this to be brave and to Live Different!
     
    smoothcoat
     
    My highlight of the day (Cedric)
    Today I got to teach a Norwegian class for the kids up at the school. It was a great experience to see how willing and enthusiastic the kids were to learn, and to see how involved the professors got as well. The teachers are doing such a fantastic job with their students, and hopefully the bright minds’ of the kids will end up in offices of doctors, lawyers, or perhaps teachers.
     
    classroom
     
    My highlight of the day (David)
    At the beginning of the trip I was very unaware at how big of a language barrier there was between Creole and English. I found out today that you do not need language to communicate with others. My biggest highlight of not only today, but the whole trip was developing such strong friendships and bonds with the children and some of the Haitian workers. One highlight in particular today was when the final bucket was hauled to the roof and a Haitian worker put his final artistic touches in smoothing the cement into place. I sat down on a rock in exhaustion and basked in the ambience of our completed work. A Haitian worker by the name of Toonie walked by and stuck out his hand to lift me up to my feet. I told him “I’m exhausted, the job is done”, he chuckled and just pointed down at the children and kept on working. That moment truly represents why I am here.
     
    hands
     
    Finally, we would like to pay a tribute to our Toyota Coaster driver Alce, who got us through the roughest terrain one can find in Haiti!
     
    - Dave and Ced, Participants, Live Different Hero Holiday Haiti

    So Much for So Little
    Friday, May 11, 2012 - 13:14

    So Much for So Little

    Haiti...this country.. there seems to be so much to say. Its people, their encouraging smiles and friendly attitudes, their tireless ability to work hard, the culture, the hot piercing sun, the beautiful terrain - the list goes on. I have traveled before, I have seen some awe-inspiring things, I have even seen harsh poverty before, but I have never seen anything like Haiti. This is such an amazing place! Haiti, a country with a rich, deep, yet young history, that grew from a revolution of slaves. It went from being known as "the jewel of the Caribbean", one of the richest lands in the West, to becoming one of the poorest countries in the world. The Haitian people have seen many natural disasters, repeated dictatorships, destruction and abuse of their land and resources, and contamination of their water systems by people who are supposed to be here to help. It would seem only natural to be angry, to give up, to lose hope and to stop trying, but I have never seen people work so hard for so little.

    rock

    My name is Quinn, I am a psychology major at the UBC Okanagan campus. I have had the opportunity to work side-by-side with Haitians for the past several days to build part of a school in an impoverished district in Cap-Haitian called Calvaire. Here in Calvaire the people have no real transportation, in fact they have no real homes. On our first day here we went on a tour of the community. People here live in shacks with tin roofs and makeshift walls; concrete is expensive and not many can afford it. There is the constant worry that if it rains, "Will it flood my home?", "Will the roof cave in?" There are no locks on doors and there is the always the chance of being robbed, or worse.
     
    water
     
    As traumatic as this sounds, to me the most stunning realization has been the situation of their water supply. For us "blancs", a term the Haitians use in reference to foreigners, we have dubbed it "the water run." Many women, children, and men must make the trek up and down a mountainside each day; over garbage, rocks and boulders, and through wooded areas to access a community well filled with dirty polluted water - yet the only source they have. I did "the water run" and carrying a pail of water in this searing Haitian heat is absolutely draining, yet I have seen men take twice as much, and little girls and boys no older than 12, (some with no shoes), carry this water alongside us. I have also seen women doing as much as 12 loadds of water in a day! They do all of it without looking drained; still smiling, politely greeting and laughing with us, and the children even had a water fight, ( I totally lost that water fight).These people of Calvaire don't have the luxury of turning on a tap, turning on a light, or locking their doors, and the children especially don't have the chance to reach for their dreams like we do...like I did. 
     
    water2
     
    Education is not normally an option here, as it is too expensive and too far away for most families. Thanks to this continuing project with Live Different, the children of Calvaire have a chance to reach for their dreams. Over the last few days we have built a roof and part of a retaining wall  for this school that had been started a few years ago. Children currently attend grades 1 and 2, for morning or afternoon classes. Their teachers and their principal/teacher Denise, a wonderfully smart and caring man, are from Cap-Haitian. The look on the children's faces alone is enough to make me feel that all the work that I have done to get here is worth it.
     
    capschool
     
    On work days, when the kids get recess, we also get recess, and it didn't take long before everybody was having so much fun! When the end bell rang, I was the first one to say "Ahhhwwwwwww, already...can't we play a little while longer?" These children have a beautiful light-hearted innocence to them that just makes you want to give more, stay longer, and work harder. They deserve their dreams, and though what we have been doing in these few days is only a roof and part of a wall, it is stepping stone to giving those children their dreams.   
     
    recess
     
    There is so much I could say, there have been so many amazing experiences that I have had, and amazing times that I have shared in getting to know these beautiful Haitian people. The Haitian workers are the strongest, most hard driven people I have ever met! They have a strong sense of community and a lot to teach us. They live with so little, but they live for reasons that seem beyond my of understanding. 
     
    - Quinn, Participant, Live Different Hero Holiday Haiti

     

    The Many Languages of Love, Hope, and Change...
    Friday, May 11, 2012 - 11:19

    The Many Languages of Love, Hope, and Change...

    Hero Holiday Haiti team today teaching French, Norwegian, Punjab, and English at our Live Different school in Cap Haitien.

    Trees Growing from Rocks
    Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 13:23

    Trees Growing from Rocks

    Today was the third full day of our amazing adventure in Cap Haitien, Haiti.  Each and every day in this region has provided me with what seems like a million new insights and memories that I want to hold onto and grow with.  I personally have never experienced first-hand what it is like to visit other countries, unless you count driving 'across the border' to the United States for a day of shopping! This trip has been such an experience for me, beginning with the simple fact of taking my first long-distance plane ride, down to the first time coming face to face with extreme poverty.  

    cap

    When I heard of the earthquake that rocked Port-Au-Prince and the surrounding areas, I was immediately struck in a way I had not been before.  Earthquakes in the news were not necessarily anything new, but hearing of the unthinkable toll it took on its inhabitants due to the unstable infrastructure that existed prior to the tragedy was unfathomable to me.  When one thinks of a natural disaster occurring, the first thing you assume will happen is that aid will be dispensed, and an attempt to rebuild would begin to take place.  But what does a country do when its hospitals weren't even adequate prior to the disaster? What is a country to do when its government was already riddled with corruption? What do the people do when they had nothing to begin with to "rebuild"?  
     
    rubble
     
    At that time I only knew the facts that the news told me, and that was enough to make me want to donate all I could.  Then, when I heard my sister Karly, who had previously worked with Live Different on multiple aid trips, discuss the idea of trying to organize a group to go to Haiti, I was immediately on board.  I didn't have a passport, I had never been anywhere further from home than I could drive to, but I was absolutely certain in my heart that this was something I needed to do.  I had always taken for granted that if natural disaster were to occur close to home, that help would be provided, that structure to dispense aid would be in place, and that I would not be left to fend for my own.  I now realized that the people of Haiti did not have that privilege, which was an injustice I could not simply ignore. I knew upon committing to the trip that I wanted to be prepared, and I wanted to arrive in Cap Haitien with a thorough knowledge of Haiti and its history, as well as its current situation. So I began to devour as much information as I could, from the material recommended by Live Different, to history books and current events, to convincing my Art History professor to allow me to integrate Haitian history into my final term paper, which would allow me to continue my research while still keeping up my role as a student.  
     
    plane
     
    Stepping off the plane in Cap Haitien, I felt prepared.  I knew to expect filthy streets and starving people.  I knew to expect the smell that is inevitable when you do not have consistent electricity and water.  I was prepared to see things that would be very difficult to see, and perhaps feel the fright associated with an unstable government and rogue army. What I did NOT expect to see was beauty.  And yet despite the fact that, yes, all those things are a fact of life for the people of Haiti and were here waiting for me, I have still been struck every single day here by the beauty that endures. There is a beauty in hope, a beauty in love, and a beauty in life, and somehow, without any of the materials that we may assume are necessary to grow these things, they exist and flourish.  Today while driving on a dirt road, we passed a stretch where trees were literally growing out of the rocks, with their roots hanging down from the rocky mountain. I couldn't help but feel that they really symbolized the people of Haiti - these trees had no soil, no nutrients, and probably had to work very hard to access water, and yet there they were, green, lush, and growing.  The people here may not have what we think of when we think of a home, and they may have to put effort we cannot even imagine into acquiring food and water, and yet here they are, full of hope, full of love, and full of life.  I have encountered more smiling faces, been hugged by more children, and been taught more about what it means to hope and live than I ever would have thought imaginable.  
     
     
    Instead of seeing myself coming home with visions of sadness, I have been taught while here how to truly see beauty.  While I may be here building a school to teach children reading, writing, and arithmetic, I am the one who has really been taught a lesson.  Life can grow from tragedy, love can flourish in sadness, and hope can shine where it seems it should be hopeless.  Trees CAN grow from rocks.
     
    - Jayme, Participant, Live Different Hero Holiday Haiti


    Saturday, May 5th

    • Team meets in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Please arrange for your flight to arrive before 12:00pm. A Hero Holiday Staff member will meet you at the airport. An airport shuttle will be provided. There is an option to fly to Port-au-Prince with our staff. Please call our office for more details.
    • A domestic flight to Cap Haitien (30 minute flight vs a 5 hour bus ride!).
    • Orientation.

     

    Sunday, May 6th

    • Awareness tour. You will learn about the city and the local community where we will be working.You will also develop an understanding of some of the factors that affect the people of Calvaire.

     

    Monday, May 7th - Thursday, May 10th

    • Project days. Get ready for hard work and rewarding moments!
    • On one of these days you will see worlds collide as you visit Labadee beach, home to a Royal Caribbean cruise destination.

     

    Friday, May 11th

    • Day off - Visit to Haiti's historical site: Citadelle

     

    Saturday, May 12th

    • Community Party!
    • Preparation for what is next. Hero Holiday is going to be one of the most intense and life-changing experiences you will ever have and we want to help you prepare for your return home. We will have a final debriefing on this day and you will be equipped with some important personal strategies to integrate this experience into your life back home.

     

    Sunday, May 13th

    • Fly back to Port-au-Prince.
    • Tour of the city.

     

    Monday, May 14th

    • Fly home.
    • Airport shuttles provided. Please aim to fly out of Port-au-Prince by 3:00pm.

     


    Live Different chooses to employ and work alongside local labourers and tradespeople in communities where we have established connections and relationships. No family is ever simply a "project" for us, and each family is chosen and approved through a process with local community workers. Each home is one that will be built with love, hope, and dignity - together.

    These are the building projects for this Live Different Hero Holiday Trip

    Haiti School

    - Haiti School

    Click to see full project page

    Your Hero Holiday will be taking place in the second largest city on Haiti's north coast called Cap Haitien. As a team, you will continue to build a six classroom school that Absolute started in May 2010. The school is located in a part of Cap Haitien called Calvaire. Calvaire is a very poor community situated on the side of a small mountain and is home to approximately 1,000 people. The average income of a person living in Calvaire is about $2 - $3 dollars a day (Haiti's minimum wage is supposed to be $5 a day). Many of the people living here haven’t had the opportunity to receive an education, which is largely due to the fact that transportation costs a lot to get to schools down the mountain. It has not been easy to build a school in this community because of their steep location. Yet, we keep moving forward because we know that it is greatly needed and it will be used for years to come by the people in the Calvaire community. Education is a major tool in ending the cycle of poverty. Come help us as we equip the people of Calviare with hope as they face their future!

    All of our Hero Holiday staff are experienced professionals in each area they facilitate. We have professional drivers, builders, youth workers, administrators, cooks, mechanics and interpreters. We maintain excellent community relations and work diligently alongside of community leaders and government officials in each country that we work in. We take our responsibilities and your expectations very seriously. Safety is always our number one priority. All of our key staff are first aid certified and we always have immediate access available to quality medical attention (if needed) in all countries that we work in.

    Before a Hero Holiday begins, all volunteers (and parents, if applicable) are given contact numbers and emails for Hero Holiday ground staff. We are available at any time for parental concerns or emergencies. Our staff also works hard to keep family and friends back home updated on a daily basis with stories and pictures of what is happening with each particular group.


    Understanding of Charitable Donations

    • Note: for those using CanadaHelps GivingPage, tax receipts will be issued by CanadaHelps and not from Live Different (CanadaHelps disburses the funds raised online to Live Different on a weekly basis). All of the below principles of what a legal charitable donation is apply whether CanadaHelps or Live Different is processing the donation.
    • It is important to understand that Live Different Hero Holiday is a charitable program. This means that "participants/travelers" are functioning as volunteers, approved by our Board of Directors, to help achieve the charitable purpose of Live Different. The beneficiaries of this charitable program are families and people in-need in our host countries, not those who deliver the program (even though it may be incredibly fun, rewarding and even life-changing to serve others in need).
    • Additionally, the humanitarian trip does not have a "personal recreational vacation" component that is more than incidental to the charitable project (eg. if there were multiple days of personal vacation free-time this would be a monetary-type personal benefit and funds raised would not qualify as a gift for income tax purposes).
    • Due to the expense and logistics of coordinating a volunteer humanitarian development project, an important qualification is for each volunteer to meet their trip's minimum fundraising goal. Volunteers can solicit tax receiptable donations (via CanadaHelps) to reach the minimum fundraising goal to help pay for their costs in carrying out the project, and such designated contributions are received by Live Different (via CanadaHelps) for its charitable purposes. According to charity law, a donation is a voluntary transfer of property without valuable consideration to the donor; donors cannot choose the beneficiaries of their donations, and a charity must have full discretion in deciding how to allocate its funds. Even if related persons or the volunteer make contributions to meet the fundraising goal of the humanitarian trip, the contributions are gifts for income tax purposes because they pass the CRA tests. Therefore, CanadaHelps or Live Different are able to issue an official receipt for income tax purposes. It is the volunteer's obligation to inform donors that all donations are given to the project/charity, and though donations help meet the volunteer's fundraising goal and their costs associated with the charitable project, they are not being used as a direct monetary benefit to the volunteer (eg. monies won't be refunded, they won't be used to cover personal/recreational expenses, etc.)
    • This means that ALL donations are absolutely, 100% non-refundable (whether given via CanadaHelps or directly to Live Different), as it is not legal for a charity to refund a donation. In event of any form of cancellation whatsoever or exceeding a fundraising goal, funds will instead be allocated towards where most needed in the project or in other charitable programs. In the event that a volunteer is unable to participate in the project, fundraising efforts may be taken into account when registering for a future trip, but this is exclusively the decision of Live Different.
    • If you receive anynonmous cash donations or proceeds from a fundraising sale, it is not legal to claim this as a tax-receiptable donation using your name/address, as you will receive a tax-deductible receipt for a donation that wasn't really from you.
    • Alternately, if you do not wish to give a donation, fundraise, or use CanadaHelps, please contact us to discuss making a non-tax receiptable direct payment that will have the benefit of falling under our refund policy.

    Refund Policy

    • This Refund Policy does NOT apply to any monies given via CanadaHelps. Donations are 100% non-refundable, whether given via CanadaHelps or directly to Live Different. (It is not legal to refund donations).
    • This Refund Policy only applies to those who have contacted us to arrange direct payment, and have explicitly marked monies as "Payment" on the payment form.
    • Up to 50% of trip payments (not donations) can be refunded up to Mar 1, 2012.
    • After Apr 1, 2012, no refunds will be given except for extreme circumstances such as death or severe illness/injury resulting in the individual being unable to participate. In such cases, up to 80% of trip payments (not donations) may be refunded at Live Different's discretion. Requests for refund must be made in writing and be accompanied by a death certificate or a doctor's note
    • All requests for refund must be forwarded to Live Different in writing.
    • In the event of failing to meet registration requirements (e.g. not obtaining a valid passport, not meeting minimum fundraising goals, etc), Live Different reserves the right to cancel participation with no refund of payment.
    • Payments cannot be forwarded towards a future Live Different Hero Holiday or transferred to another volunteer, however, in such an event where a volunteer is unable to participate in the project, fundraising efforts may be taken into account when registering for a future trip, but this is exclusively the decision of Live Different.