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Lawrence Technological University participated in Alternative Spring Break International in partnership wtih Reconstruction Efforts Aiding Children without Homes for orphaned children of Pwoje Espwa orphanage in Les Cayes Haiti, in March 2010 as part of their Voluntour Program.

A voluntour brings together the experience of an international tour and the opportunity to volunteer to better the lives and living conditions of children who have been devastated by poverty, natural disaster and war. Through the REACH program, Lawrence Tech students use their education and life experiences to bring decent, environmentally friendly housing solutions to children in Haiti who have been devastated by the earthquake.

During this project, volunteers eat and sleep at the orphanage and work directly with Haitian people in the community to design and build the homes as part of a job training program for the Haitian people. During this process, all the volunteers learn abotu the importance of sustainable housing and develop useful construction and building skills while gaining valuable leadership and teamwork experiences.

The orphanage houses more than 650 orphans and feeds and educates hundreds more daily. In the aftermath of the earthquakes, many families and orphaned children fled Port-au-Prince into Les Cayes, seeking refuge at or around the orphanage. In addition to building houses, the team brought supplies of their own as well as unloaded and distributed supply trucks.

The participants had to raise at least $1,000 to help fund the construction of the homes as well as pay their own travel and lodging costs.

This program is being extended to a second Voluntour to Haiti during a two-week time span in August and will continue until the houses are built.

Related Links:

• College students heading for Haiti (CNN)
• LTU students to join in Haiti relief effort

* YouTube video views since this project was published at TrueHero.com