You are invited for the adventure of your life on our next “Journey of Mutual Exchange” to Haiti!
There are still a few spots available!
Dates: August 6-14, 2019
Cost: $1,850.00 (scholarship discounts possible if necessary)
Official Deadline for Registration is July 10, 2019.
Dates: August 6-14, 2019
Cost: $1,850.00 (scholarship discounts possible if necessary)
Official Deadline for Registration is July 10, 2019.
Haiti Allies refers to these trips as “journeys of mutual exchange” in order to underscore the priority placed on being open to receiving the many gifts the Haitian people and culture offer to those who venture to this beautiful island. We will of course offer gifts of service ourselves, but
the overriding experience of most participants on these trips is that we inevitably wind up receiving so much more than we give.
While there will be a nucleus of folks from Haiti Allies’ home state of Wisconsin, there are typically participants from other parts of the U.S. who will meet us at our official “gateway city” which will most likely be Atlanta and we will fly to Haiti on Delta Airlines. Haiti Allies will make the round trip flight arrangements from Atlanta to Port au Prince (unless participants prefer to do so in order to get these miles and points on credit cards and/or frequent flyer programs) and all subsequent costs other than souvenir purchases will be included in the $1,850 price of the trip. Participants who make their own flight arrangements (though we all MUST be on the same flight to/from Haiti) will have that cost deducted from the $1,850 total.
After arriving in Port au Prince we typically begin the journey with a brief tour of the capital city and then travel to a small mountain village outside Port au Prince where we will experience the gentle rhythm of rural life, receive a cultural and historical orientation, and enjoy the hospitality and warmth of the people in this village. This is a restful and slow-paced time in which we will get to know some Haitian people, learn some basic Haitian Kreyol phrases and customs, catch up with our own hearts and minds, get to know each other, hear Haitian music and drumming, and maybe even learn a few Haitian songs and dances. Activities in the village vary from trip to trip, but often include making coffee from scratch as rural Haitians do, making peanut butter, and learning about Haitian voodoo. The accommodations will be very rustic, but we’ll be safe and welcome and experience the healing magic of Haitian hospitality.
After this initial orientation, we will return to the city and move into Walls International Guest house, a very modest but secure and friendly guest house that will be our home for the remainder of the journey. Our daily activities in Port au Prince will include a number of different adventures and experiences. Haiti Allies’s methodology always involves a combination of working with our hands, hearts, and minds. The hands on/service component of the adventure will depend in part on the skills and interests of our group and also on what’s happening in the country when we are there. These experiences typically include volunteering at an orphanage run by the Missionaries of Charity (the sisters of Mother Teresa), volunteering at a hospice-like facility also run by the Missionaries of Charity called the “Home for the Dying and the Destitute,” and volunteering at a school supported by Haiti Allies in one of Port au Prince’s most impoverished neighborhoods. Most evenings we will also have meetings with Haitian friends and leaders who will teach us about various aspects of life in Haiti.
In addition to opportunities to serve and be a compassionate presence, we will spend time together as a group each day processing and reflecting on what we are seeing and learning. These are powerful heart-opening trips that often lead to profound personal insights. There
will be space open in our agenda for journaling, resting, and meditation. We will touch and be touched by a number of painful and heartbreaking realities connected to the extreme material poverty of Haiti, but group members are almost always inspired and deeply moved by the joy
and hospitality and grace of the Haitian people.
The group will be limited to 15 persons including the leaders, so please be in touch as soon as possible with Bryan Sirchio at [email protected] (608) 577-8716 if you are interested in learning more about this adventure and discerning whether or not it’s the kind of trip you’d love to experience. We’ll look forward to hearing from you and to sharing this amazing adventure together. Once you contact Bryan he will send you information and details regarding medical prep, etc. (which is relatively minor). The most important thing is to make sure you have a valid passport!
the overriding experience of most participants on these trips is that we inevitably wind up receiving so much more than we give.
While there will be a nucleus of folks from Haiti Allies’ home state of Wisconsin, there are typically participants from other parts of the U.S. who will meet us at our official “gateway city” which will most likely be Atlanta and we will fly to Haiti on Delta Airlines. Haiti Allies will make the round trip flight arrangements from Atlanta to Port au Prince (unless participants prefer to do so in order to get these miles and points on credit cards and/or frequent flyer programs) and all subsequent costs other than souvenir purchases will be included in the $1,850 price of the trip. Participants who make their own flight arrangements (though we all MUST be on the same flight to/from Haiti) will have that cost deducted from the $1,850 total.
After arriving in Port au Prince we typically begin the journey with a brief tour of the capital city and then travel to a small mountain village outside Port au Prince where we will experience the gentle rhythm of rural life, receive a cultural and historical orientation, and enjoy the hospitality and warmth of the people in this village. This is a restful and slow-paced time in which we will get to know some Haitian people, learn some basic Haitian Kreyol phrases and customs, catch up with our own hearts and minds, get to know each other, hear Haitian music and drumming, and maybe even learn a few Haitian songs and dances. Activities in the village vary from trip to trip, but often include making coffee from scratch as rural Haitians do, making peanut butter, and learning about Haitian voodoo. The accommodations will be very rustic, but we’ll be safe and welcome and experience the healing magic of Haitian hospitality.
After this initial orientation, we will return to the city and move into Walls International Guest house, a very modest but secure and friendly guest house that will be our home for the remainder of the journey. Our daily activities in Port au Prince will include a number of different adventures and experiences. Haiti Allies’s methodology always involves a combination of working with our hands, hearts, and minds. The hands on/service component of the adventure will depend in part on the skills and interests of our group and also on what’s happening in the country when we are there. These experiences typically include volunteering at an orphanage run by the Missionaries of Charity (the sisters of Mother Teresa), volunteering at a hospice-like facility also run by the Missionaries of Charity called the “Home for the Dying and the Destitute,” and volunteering at a school supported by Haiti Allies in one of Port au Prince’s most impoverished neighborhoods. Most evenings we will also have meetings with Haitian friends and leaders who will teach us about various aspects of life in Haiti.
In addition to opportunities to serve and be a compassionate presence, we will spend time together as a group each day processing and reflecting on what we are seeing and learning. These are powerful heart-opening trips that often lead to profound personal insights. There
will be space open in our agenda for journaling, resting, and meditation. We will touch and be touched by a number of painful and heartbreaking realities connected to the extreme material poverty of Haiti, but group members are almost always inspired and deeply moved by the joy
and hospitality and grace of the Haitian people.
The group will be limited to 15 persons including the leaders, so please be in touch as soon as possible with Bryan Sirchio at [email protected] (608) 577-8716 if you are interested in learning more about this adventure and discerning whether or not it’s the kind of trip you’d love to experience. We’ll look forward to hearing from you and to sharing this amazing adventure together. Once you contact Bryan he will send you information and details regarding medical prep, etc. (which is relatively minor). The most important thing is to make sure you have a valid passport!
