Experiences in Haiti lead to global crisis talks

By Jack Wagner

How can Santa Clara respond effectively to global crises? That is the question raised by two connected lectures and talks on May 5 and 6, Wednesday and Thursday of last week.

The May 5 event, "Haiti, Chile, and the Challenge of Humanitarian Disasters: A Hands-On View From Catholic Relief Services," featured Paul Miller, the Foreign Aid Advisor for Catholic Relief Services as a speaker, leading a talk after his lecture.

"We thought this event would be an opportunity to brainstorm with some pretty tremendous people, like Paul Miller, to give us a larger perspective of what was possible," said Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley, the associate director for the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education and one of the organizers of the event.

The talks were hosted jointly by Campus Ministry, the Center for Science, Technology and Society, the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, International Programs, and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

The May 6 event, "Santa Clara Responds to Global Crises: Sharing Lessons Learned in Haiti," featured Caitlin Robinett and Daniel Zazueta, two Santa Clara Law students who have a very unique connection to Haiti.

According to the Santa Clara Law Magazine, on March 8, 2009, Santa Clara Law presented Mario Joseph with an award for his work as a human rights lawyer and his work towards improving the justice system in Haiti.

Joseph told of how in 1994, roughly 40 people were killed in the Raboteau Massacre in a slum in Haiti and how to escape prosecution for his part in the massacre, Colonel Carl Dorelien fled to Florida. While in Florida, Dorelien won a $3 million state lottery.

The attention that this prize brought Dorelien allowed the wife of one of the victims of the Raboteau Massacre, Marie Jeanne Jean, to file suit against him. She won $430 thousand from him.

Instead of keeping the money to herself, Jean shared the wealth among the families of the other victims in her village in Haiti. Hearing of this story inspired Robinett and Zazueta to apply for a Bannan grant, and travel to Haiti to investigate and share this story with the world.

They received the grant, and on Dec. 25, 2009, the two students traveled to Haiti, spending a total of two weeks there before returning on Jan. 8, 2010.

Regarding their trip, Zazueta said, "I could be here all day, all week, describing what is going on with Haiti, the history, why it is the way it is."

Four days after their return to the United States, the country they had just left was rocked by the now infamous 7.0 earthquake, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

According to Zazueta, they wanted to do something to help their friends in Haiti, all of whom survived the earthquake. Robinett and Zazueta returned to Haiti over their spring break to bring supplies to Matthew 25 House, a place of hospitality established by the Catholic Parish Twinning Program of the Americas.

Before the earthquake, the house served as a hub for researchers, scientists, and volunteers to come and share ideas.

After the earthquake it was transformed into a medical treatment center and it became an epicenter for international aid organizations and the media since it was one of the few remaining houses in Port-au-Prince.

Together, Robinett and Zazueta brought down three large boxes of assorted supplies, $1,500 in cash and more money that they had raised with the help of friends and family. They also cleaned out a storeroom and did whatever they could to help out.

Senior Bobby Moon was another student who was featured at the lectures and talks. According to fyi, a newsletter for Santa Clara's faculty and staff, Moon was in the Dominican Republic at the time of the January 12 earthquake, and was able to make it to Haiti by March 20 to help out in any way possible.

While in Haiti, Moon captured photographs of the destruction and the recovering, but dazed, population.

The two talks helped bring the stories and lessons of Paul Miller, Daniel Zazueta, Caitlin Robinett, and Bobby Moon together into a positive discussion about what Santa Clara could do if another disaster were to hit again.

Contact Jack Wagner at jcwagner@scu.edu or (408) 554-4546.

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