The Lasting Impact of Traveling to Haiti: Stories from Our Community

When You’ve Been to Haiti, It Never Leaves You

For many years, the Mortel High Hopes for Haiti Foundation welcomed partners, students, and volunteers to experience Haiti firsthand. These trips weren’t about charity tourism or fleeting encounters – they were about relationship, shared humanity, and learning what hope looks like when it’s lived every day.

Today, due to the current climate in Haiti, we are no longer able to organize trips. And we know that this shift has changed how people interact with our work. For some, travel was their first point of connection. For others, it was the moment everything clicked.

But as we’ve been reminded again and again by those who once traveled with us: when you’ve truly experienced Haiti, it stays with you – long after you return home.

 

A “Cultural Reset”

Sam, a former student traveler, describes Haiti as a “cultural reset.”

It’s a place where children live with remarkable joy on very little – not because life is easy, but because hope and faith are woven deeply into daily life.

“They live their life with joy on so little. It’s a cultural reset every time you see it.”

That joy, Sam reflects, deserves protection. And that protection starts with partnership — with people willing to show up, care deeply, and stay committed.

“It only takes one person to change the trajectory of people’s lives.”

 

Relationships That Become Part of You

For Cindy, traveling to Haiti wasn’t a one-time experience. After her first trip, she returned three more times. What stayed with her wasn’t just the journey itself, but the relationships — with the students, the school community, and the Mortel family.

“That’s why I’m still in it — because it’s just like part of me.”

Years later, even though travel is no longer possible, Cindy’s connection to Haiti continues to shape how she shows up. Today, she serves as a member of our Board of Advisors, bringing the same commitment, compassion, and belief in education that first took root during her time in Haiti.

Her story reminds us that the impact of these experiences doesn’t fade when circumstances change – it deepens.

 

Service That Lasts a Lifetime

Kevin traveled to Haiti as a volunteer dentist, offering his professional skills in service of students and families. What he received in return was something far more lasting.

Working alongside students and witnessing their resilience firsthand created a bond that never disappeared.

“The memory of being there and knowing that our help is needed more now than ever before… the experiences with the kids created a strong affinity to help the people there. That’s why we’re still involved.”

Long after his trips ended, Kevin’s commitment only grew stronger — through student sponsorship, leadership, and continued involvement with Mortel High Hopes for Haiti. Like Cindy, he now serves on our Board of Advisors, helping guide the future of the organization he remains deeply connected to.

 

Guided by Joy

Kristen first traveled to Haiti in 2011 to help run summer camp at Les Bons Samaritains and set up classrooms at James Stine College. She arrived ready to serve — but quickly realized she was receiving just as much.

She remembers students walking the volunteers from site to site, holding their hands, guiding the way, offering care and protection with joy and pride.

What stayed with her most was their joy for life — even when having so little. The smiles and excitement they brought to camp are still vivid years later.

That first trip grew into something lasting. Kristen helped establish a sister parish partnership between her home parish in Fallston and a rural parish in Le Lomas, Haiti, and later returned to lead youth camps and teach English classes.

Today, those lessons shape how she raises her own children — teaching empathy, awareness, and hope rooted in real connection. Seeing students she once met as children now pursuing education and building futures is what keeps her involved.

Kristen believes that when you invest in a child’s education, you invest in the future of an entire country — and she credits The Mortel Foundation for making that investment possible.

 

What Travel Made Possible – And What Still Is

While we can’t bring people to Haiti right now, the heart of what those trips created remains very much alive:
connection, responsibility, and a belief in what education makes possible.

Haiti doesn’t just change the lives of those who live there.
It shapes the people who walk alongside it – long after they return home.

We are profoundly grateful to everyone who traveled with us, learned with us, and continues to stand with Haiti today. Your experiences didn’t end when the trips did. They became part of the foundation that continues to sustain this work.

And in this moment, when showing up looks different, that commitment matters more than ever.