About
We Hear Your Voice is a nonprofit organization, founded in response to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. Please read about our story and mission to learn more.
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[Below is a letter to friends and family upon returning from Haiti days after the earthquake]
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Dear Friends and Family,
We recently returned from Haiti, and want to share with you our effort to help this country rebuild.
On January 12, a 7.0 earthquake struck the country of Haiti leaving roughly 1.5 million people homeless and so far 230,000 dead. Haiti’s years of political turmoil, desperate poverty, and other recent natural disasters (like the four hurricanes that decimated the country in 2008), leave it ill-equipped to cope with the latest calamity. In response to the worst natural disaster in decades, we have set up a nonprofit organization named We Hear Your Voice, as well as organized a professional documentary team to tell a powerful but heartfelt story of Haiti’s plight. We are set to return in March.
As you may be aware, the inspiration behind our endeavors to help Haiti arose from our successful trip to rescue three children and reunite them with their mother. This story was followed by the subsequent media and resulted in our CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer. We Hear Your Voice, in partnership with other organizations, plans to do the following:
- Facilitate companies, aid organizations, and nonprofits with resources and innovative ideas to help Haitians recover by means of developing models for sustainability.
- Focus on rebuilding schools and orphanages, and help foster self-sufficiency by creating jobs through social entrepreneurship (rather than plain cash and foreign aid). In time, we hope to help educate future leaders.
- Film a documentary. We want to use the power of media to raise awareness, inspire people to learn how they can help Haiti, and better understand a country rich in history and heritage.
In a nation the size of the state of Maryland, 9 million people struggle to survive. Already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, barely over half of its citizens can read and write, and the average person lives on $2 a day (which is not enough to buy a cappuccino from Starbucks or a combo meal at McDonalds).
Feeling helpless once back home, we felt there was more we could do for the people of Haiti. With the help of Jackson Walker LLP and the social commerce experts at Piryx.com we founded We Hear Your Voice in order to provide a channel of giving for our friends, families, and businesses. From there, we began to build partnerships for long-term sustainability with entities such as Angels In Cowboy Boots, Peñabrand, Startup Weekend, and Global Water Trust. Then came the documentary with Parlay Media. To raise awareness and effectuate change we decided to tell a story that captures the plight and challenges these children (mostly orphans) now face, while sharing an insightful look into the culture of Haiti. Our story has seemingly resonated among many – one of our collaborators, Matt Ogens, has directed and produced a few segments of CNN Heroes as well as George Clooney’s ‘Hope for Haiti’ concert.
Did you know that BEFORE the earthquake there were already an estimated 380,000 orphans? Unfortunately poverty forces many of them into child slavery, known as restavecs. But one orphanage – RENMEN Orphanage – came to our aid and cared for us and Kennedy’s three kids in our time of need.
With Haiti’s main hospitals destroyed and field hospitals overwhelmed, authorities are troubled as many patients are dying for lack of supplies; not to mention the public health disaster of thousands living in camps with poor sanitation. After visiting one beleaguered hospital, former U.S. President Bill Clinton reported vodka being used to sterilized wounds and operations being performed in the dark.
Aid workers are facing a logistical nightmare in their attempts to bring food and medical supplies to the country. However one of our partners, Angels In Cowboy Boots, teamed up with longtime Haiti missionary, Dr. Jay Threadgill, and led a humanitarian operation that is to ship 70 tons of goods via container next week, and within the next 6 months they hope to ship 50 thousand, 5-gallon buckets filled with aid.
On Saturday March 13, for the SXSW Austin Music/Film Festival, the star-studded team of Piryx, Microsoft, and Startup Weekend are hosting a benefit party for We Hear Your Voice. And a few months later, we will be joining Angels In Cowboy Boots at their Gala in Dallas at the W Hotel.
This Tuesday, Latin America’s main development bank said the damage from Haiti’s catastrophic Jan. 12 earthquake may be twice the value of the country’s annual economy. But we are reminded of this country’s resiliency and hope when we see 7 yr-old Kiki’s mile-wide smile. In that spirit, we will continue to keep everyone posted on how you can help.
Hope for Haiti,
Justin Yarborough and Kennedy Granger
