This past summer FCS scholar Tyrone volunteered in Haiti. His trip was funded, in part, by FCS and this is what he has to say about his experience:
Everyday I wake up for school, eat breakfast, read the world news on my computer, and then ride my bike to school.
I conduct my daily routine without thinking much about where to find parasite-free water, where to buy uncontaminated vegetables for supper,
or what to do in case there is a political uprising. My experience osculating between 18 different foster homes in 4 years, having abusive parents, and having to work since the age of 12 was very traumatic for me but after spending a month in Haiti I began to appreciate all of the
wealth, resources, and opportunities that I have had in my life.
I started out my adventure in Haiti working at an orphanage full of children who witnessed their parents being flattened by cement buildings or disembodied by falling debris. When I entered the compound, 20 children rushed to greet and embrace me. Considering their dire circumstances, these children were vibrant and full of love and compassion. I was completely overwhelmed by this! How could
children who lost their parents, have no clean clothing to wear, who only eat broth for breakfast and dinner and rice for lunch, and who have no toys be so happy and joyous? It was because they had each other. It is hard for us to understand because we come from a
capitalist society that teaches us that happiness, attractiveness, success, and wealth are all associated with external material possessions, whether that be food, clothing, makeup, or electronics. In Haiti, where all of those items are scarce, people instead build deeper bonds with each other and reach levels of joy and
love that I had previously never experienced. This is not to say that there are not people who are suffering and extremely unhappy. I am only pointing out that there are some clearly different social norms that influence how the orphans coped with the poverty and loss that they experienced.
Most of my emergency care foster parents in
California that house children who are abruptly removed from abusive parents openly confessed to me that they took work in this industry not for their longing desire to, but for the income generated from each child. Dr. Roberts walked along the tattered streets and gathered up wandering children from the ages of 2 to 18 and brought them into his
home, free of charge. He explained to me that he felt like it was the right thing to do. I used to complain about having to share a room with three other boys who were mean to me, when at this orphanage there are 20 children sleeping in a tent that was made to hold four adults. Dr. Roberts teaches his children how to be strong, depend on each other, and never give up hope for a brighter future.
When I got home from my trip I walked into my home and started to cry. I saw how the poorest of the poor in American had a better life than most Haitians.
Even during on of the worse recessions in history we still have food and water, and most people have a roof over their heads. Two million Haitians are living in tents and must weather the hurricane season without proper shelter or sanitation. It really makes one wonder why there is so much prosperity and wealth in America and how just a few hundred miles south of Florida there are people that live in unimaginable poverty. The orphans and I had no control over what country we were born in, over who my parents are, or over the socio-economic status that I inherited, or the corrupt global institutions that impose poverty creating policies on third world nations so that Americans can bathe in wealth, so it is purely self destructive to make myself feel guilty for the lifestyle that I live. What I did realize is that I may still be a poor American but I am privileged and have access to education that can enable me to fight to alter the systems that are in place that produced so much death and destruction in Haiti. This trip has sparked a sense of purpose and motivation for me to continue to work hard and take full advantage of the privileges I have as an American and then use that power to improve the lives of those who are less fortunate.
Foster Care to Success is proud of Tyrone, his accomplishments and his big heart – as we are proud of all of our students.
And dreams.
