Hurricane Matthew Relief

Dear Friends and Family,

We have a unique opportunity to do something great for a special family in Haiti that lost their home to Hurricane Matthew.

While vacationing on the quiet Haitian island of Ile-a-Vache this past May, I had the pleasure of meeting a boy named Jean Ilert. We hung out on the beach and he showed me around the island. He would have rather been in school, however, but could not afford the $20 annual tuition. He came from a large family and both parents worked hard to make ends meet without formal jobs. 

I've spent a good chunk of time in Haiti and have seen some pretty difficult situations, but this family's struggle has never left my mind. When I learned that a powerful storm was approaching the island, I feared for the safety of their family. Thankfully, I was able to finally reach Jean Ilert today and he confirmed that while his family is okay, their home was completely destroyed. 

Donating to relief operations in any country comes with great risk. We all know the stories of misuse, as well as good intentions gone wrong. However, this is a unique opportunity to provide assistance directly to a family that will have full agency over every cent. I hope that you'll join me helping them to rebuild, purchase food and send their incredibly intelligent children to school. Every bit helps.

UPDATE:

I initially planned to send the funds via Western Union to Jean Ilert's father. However, after speaking with him further, it came to light that he does not have a bank account--like many people who live in abject poverty. Together, we came up with the solution of instead transferring the funds to my long-time and EXTREMELY TRUSTWORTHY friend in Haiti (Doubea Pierre) who will go to Jean Ilert's hometown to  deliver the funds and assist his father with opening a bank account to ensure that they are safe and secure (especially since he does not have a home to keep them in). I will post another update once this has been completed. 

Thank you,
Lauren