<p>My 10th grade D is talking about a Haiti trip that her school may organize. Here in South Florida, the newspapers cover Haiti extensively. I know they need help, and I admire those who go on mission trips. Here on CC I have read threads posted by med students detailing such trips. I think this is wonderful- but I will admit I worry about the prospect of my daughter being there. After the earthquake that hit Haiti several years ago there were sad articles in the newspaper about students from Lynn University who died while there on a hope mission. I can't get this out of my head! Would you let your kid go?</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about “Hope for Haiti”, but I think I’d say “No”. There are a handful of countries that just aren’t worth the risk, IMHO. I’m not talking about risk of another earthquake. I’m talking about a high crime risk. I’m sure she can find another volunteer opportunity in a safer country.</p>
<p>While I understand your concerns, she could die walking out the front door tomorrow and getting hit by a car. I would be worried as heck if my DD wanted to go too but if it meant that much to her, I would send her. A good friend of our’s DD is in Haiti now bringing medical supplies and nursing people there. This is her 3rd or 4th trip and the photos are amazing.</p>
<p>If she is part of an organized group, I would say…let her go. I am in the camp that we can’t let our fears prevent us from doing the humanitarian things we would like to do.</p>
<p>I tend to think of health issues. My son was going to go to Costa Rica one summer and apparently Dengue fever is a problem in some parts. While they say you don’t need to, I was going to have him immunized against it. What are the health precautions in Haiti?</p>
<p>Have your daughter go to an international immunization clinic. They will tell you both the required and suggested immunizations for Haiti…for the duration of time she is going to be there as well as for the specific location.</p>
<p>If your daughter is interested in helping people in general, many parts of US could use some help now. One doesn’t need to leave home in order to help out. I would be concerned to have my 14/15 year old go to a place like Haiti without us.</p>
<p>I’m not an alarmist, but there are times and places where it’s good to check the State Dept notes, especially for a high schooler.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“404 - Page Not Found”>404 - Page Not Found]Haiti[/url</a>] Scroll down to “Threats to Safety and Security” and the comments about relief work. You may decide to choose other ways to support efforts there or another area in need. As Old Fort says, one doesn’t need to leave the US. Work is still being done in NOLA and now in NJ/NY. Among other places. Best wishes.</p>
<p>I would say no. I would be very worried about crime and health issues. Why don’t the kids fund-raise and donate money instead? I would say Haiti is no place for high school children (or frankly for volunteers of any age if they are not professionals)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t let my kid go to Haiti… to the Dominican Republic, maybe (better infrastructure, safter, fewer disease issues). Haiti is also in the midst of (another) cholera outbreak since Hurrican Sandy went through. Cholera worries me.</p>
<p>My husband has been to Haiti 5 or 6 times since the earthquake (he is a physician). I am comfortable with him going, although we are both aware of the potential dangers. Having said that, I would not let my high school daughter go to Haiti at this point. </p>
<p>Traffic accidents are common and there are no emergency responders and very few, if any, hospitals equipped to handle major trauma. Add to that cholera and violence. There are plenty of other more appropriate places for a teenager to volunteer.</p>
<p>To the OP…who is organizing this trip? From the posts here, it would seem that only a very well organized relief organization with adult volunteers should be going there. Maybe the adults organizing this trip don’t know that.</p>
<p>Could these kids be encouraged to do humanitarian work closer to home?</p>
<p>My friend’s son went there as a medical student with a team and ended up hospitalized after his return with very high fever–not sure what he was finally diagnosed with but scary to say the least. So no to 10th grader for sure.</p>
<p>I appreciate high school kids wanting to help those in Haiti, but will the support they are capable of providing outweigh the support the students will need once they get there?</p>
<p>My d went to Ghana in high school, but they were well prepared.They worked all year on skills and materials to share( they brought about 37 refurbished computers to set up a communications hub for the community). They had been there many times before so they knew what was needed.</p>
<p>Our daughter went to Honduras but in college. Again, the students worked with medical personnel to train and collect medical donations for a full year before they went. And this was with a very well recognized international relief organization. The kids wanted to return the following year and were not permitted to because of a state department advisory. The organizing group prohibited them from going as did their university.</p>
<p>This Help for Haiti organization needs to heed the warnings of the department of state.</p>
<p>I take back my first response. I didn’t realize that there were department of state as well as significant health concerns in Haiti. </p>
<p>This organizing group really should not be organizing this trip if the above
Is true…and the high school should not be supporting travel there either.</p>
<p>Or support IJDH–Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. A great organization that does use interns, older than high school, though. But they have semi-regular actions that people can take, usually letter writing campaigns. A very worthwhile organization.</p>
<p>What I’ve heard here in other topics is that these trips aren’t to actually help but to give colleges the impression that you’re a caring individual or something like that.</p>