06/01/2026
People sometimes ask me why Haiti still matters so deeply to me. The answer is simple. Haiti is home. 💛
I was born in Haiti to Canadian missionary parents and lived there until I was sixteen years old. I came to the United States for university. My childhood was not shaped by malls, sports teams, or suburban neighborhoods. I grew up in a small village where life was beautiful, difficult, and deeply connected to both people and survival.
I rode my horse to school all the way through high school.
Haiti is often called a “4th world country,” one of the poorest places in the world. Most families live without electricity, running water, sewer systems, reliable transportation, or dependable medical care. Travel happens by donkey, horse, motorcycle taxi, or crowded buses — if fuel can even be found. Today, gang violence controls many roads, making travel dangerous and incredibly expensive. A trip of only 160 miles to the capital can cost nearly $1,000 because of the risks involved.
But Haiti is also filled with resilient, hardworking, faithful people whom I love deeply. Many of our closest friends still live there. Though I no longer live in Haiti physically, part of my heart always will.
That is why we continue working with the local schools in our village and helping send children to school each year.
Because education changes everything.
In a place where illiteracy rates remain heartbreakingly high and opportunities are few, education becomes more than academics. It becomes hope. It gives children the chance to read, think, grow, and someday help lead their families and communities into a different future.
I know firsthand how powerful that opportunity can be.
And while I cannot change all of Haiti’s struggles, I can help one child at a time. 💛
My sisters and I on our way to school.