PDG Nathan Carmack spoke at the February 20th meeting of the Rotary Club Lawrenceville about the status of Rotarian support work in Haiti. Nathan has worked closely with relief efforts in Haiti since he was District Governor in 2007-08 and has maintained close relations with Haitian Rotarians, whom he praised highly for their dedication and leadership. He travels to Haiti three or four times each year. He began by describing the tremendous challenges faced by that country following years of disasters resulting from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and an outbreak of cholera. He emphasized the enormity of the situation and reiterated numerous mistakes made by previous aid efforts which sometimes harmed more than they helped. He described efforts as “chipping away” at huge problems involving water, education, transportation, and communication but said efforts are becoming more organized as relief workers learn from mistakes. He spoke specifically of Rotarian support for the hospital in Pignon, which has proved a good staging area for aid. Hospital Bienfaisance de Pignon has particularly served amputees and had a positive impact on the city’s economy. He showed pictures of the hospital, which graphically showed the extreme need there and left the group with a clearer sense of the situation in Haiti.

https://vimeo.com/37133903