Some La Salle students spent part of their Winter Break giving back and learning in Haiti. 

Seven La Salle students and two staff leaders spent nine days in Port-au-Prince with Project Haiti. They stayed at the Christian Brothers’ residence while there and taught morning English lessons at The La Salle School next door in the mornings, and provided help at a local orphanage, New Life Children’s Home, in the afternoons. By becoming truly immersed in the local culture and community and learning about the systemic issues the country faces, students say they were deeply impacted and moved by their experience and hope to not only continue doing things back home to benefit Haiti, but also hope to return soon together. 

Project Haiti is a program run through Lasallian Immersion & Volunteer Experience (LIVE), a division of University Ministry and Service (UMAS). This was LIVE’s fourth trip to Haiti. 

Project Haiti overlapped with the La Salle Nursing students’ trip to Haiti to provide medical help and treatments. Led by Dr. Rhonda Hazell, assistant professor of biology, and Dr. Mary Wilby, assistant professor of nursing, students and one alum treated more than one hundred patients of all ages and gave out crucial medicines and supplies to those in need. The Nursing department visits Haiti twice annually, but Hazell comes on her own to deliver supplies throughout the year.