​​Jaci Madalena​

Florida
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I never thought I would sell all my possessions and move to Jacmel, Haiti at the age of 22 upon completion of college but Rodaille, Haiti captured my heart and I have yet to be able to take it back.  My name is Jaci Madalena and I am elementary school teacher from Bartow, Fl with a deep love for people, adventure, and education. In July of 2013 I spent two weeks on a mission trip to Jacmel, Haiti to spend time volunteering with BRITE Initiative. We spent most of our time visiting Rodaille and playing with the students. Our days were spent in the river and running around with lovable children of the community. We organized a community Olympics and helped registered students for the following school year. I fell in love. I knew I was graduating in December of that year and always wanted to commit a part of my life to living in a developing country, I just never knew it would be Haiti. The Odjos asked me to consider becoming their first intern and move to Haiti that January. I told her I would think about it and let her know in the next couple months. When I got back to the states I could not stop thinking about the children in Rodaille and Haiti, they were in my every thought and it was all I could talk about. I fell in love with the contrast of Haiti. I loved the mountains and ocean, the hot sun and the cool breeze, the black faces with the white smiles, and what blew me away the most was the deep poverty but the happiest people. How could I say no? I told Nadia and Jo that yes I will follow them to Haiti and give my full heart to that village.  On January 20th, 2014 I moved to Jacmel, Haiti and immediately got to work. I have never been happier in my life. The calmness and appreciation I have for life now is incredible. Those children and that village have given me purpose in my life. BRITE has given me the best job in the world and I know I made the right decision

​Joel Gutierrez

New Jersey

As the plane was landed in Port Au Prince Airport, I had no idea of what to expect but I was eager to help. I had heard about the extensive damage that the earthquake had done to the country, however seeing the effects of it on the country’s largest city 3 years after was something I was not prepared for. We traveled far into the mountains of Haiti to a city known as Rodaille and fell in love with the beauty of the landscape and the people. Meeting the children was inspiring, and my brother and I quickly established relationships with them despite the language barrier. I learned so much about humanity during that small period of time, and how we need to band together in order to work for the good of each other. God created his people to help one another in their time of need, especially if one has the resources that others need. This trip was life changing.

​Christie Clerger

Florida

The most rewarding part of my experience in Jacmel, Haiti was being able to put together a shoe drive for the students in the village of Rodaille. Together as a region, the Palm Beach Church of Christ united to buy or donate gently used shoes to these children. Jaci, the intern for BRITE, mailed us foot cutouts of each student to ensure that each student received the correct shoe size. As each member of the church signed up for a child, they were given a cutout. It was encouraging to witness everyone’s willingness to give. Some families signed up to donate multiple shoes! For 3 weeks we collected the shoes at church. As we were collecting, more people signed up. In the end, we were able to collect shoes for every student! The shoes were labeled and stored in boxes and shipped to Jacmel. They were to arrive during our mission trip.

When the day finally arrived for us to go to Rodaille with the shoes, we could hardly contain ourselves. Seeing the children run after our vehicle with curiosity and excitement in their eyes warmed our hearts. We met the students along with their parents and they expressed their gratitude towards us. We danced, sang, and talked with all the students. This filled us with so much joy and helped us understand the impact we were having on these children's lives. We separated the kids by grades in order to execute the shoe drive efficiently. One by one we called out each student’s name and passed out their shoes. After passing out all the shoes, they embraced us with love and asked us to take pictures with them. This was definitely an experience we will never forget! 

​​Shadrach Hepner

Georgia

I have had two incredible experiences in Rodaille. The first time I went, I stayed with Nadia for four weeks before she permanently moved down. The main lesson the two of us learned throughout that stay was that she would have her work cut out for her when she returned. While school in Rodaille was going well, there was still much that needed to be done for the community, and disparity between necessary and available funding seemed insurmountable. But Nadia could not be shaken. I did not catch her without her signature smile on her face even once. She was constantly rattling off new ideas that she wanted to enact. While I admired her drive, I was the first to call many of them too ambitious. Returning 18 months later, I was inspired me to see just how much work Nadia, Jaci, and Mallu had put into making their work meaningful. The three of them were working round the clock with their two English schools, and Nadia was intent on starting a store in town. The school in Rodaille was organized and unified, and even in the last few weeks I have heard of more that the team has begun to do. They are truly doing great work that has had and will continue to have a tremendous impact on the community.

​Hollie Hirsch

Florida

Visiting Haiti was a life changing experience to say the least. God is working all around the world and Haiti showed me that. I was captivated by the beauty that surrounded the extremely impoverished country. Through all the trash and dust was happy faces. Although these children had nothing they didn't let it get them down. I watched as they played games with rocks and made music through splashing in the river. Money truly doesn't buy happiness and they are living proof. It does however provide food and education which they children are in extreme deficit of. This breaks my heart but I'm so grateful that Ecole Jeremie St. Fort is there to help change lives and give these children a chance at a future. On my first trip there July 2013 we held the first annual Rodialle Olympics. We set up games for all ages and kids from surrounding villages formed teams to participate. I was also involved in registering the children for school, deciding which grade they should start in and taking their pictures to start a record for each individual child who had no such things. Going to Haiti I was hoping to help them, teach them English, and anything else but in turn I believe they taught and gave me more than I could have ever given them. I returned to Haiti the next year and plan to again this year. Once they have your heart there is no getting it back!

Interested in Visiting?

Request Information: If you would like to learn more information about how you or a group can take a trip with BRITE in Rodaille, Haiti, please fill out the form below. Once we have received your request, our trip coordinator will be in touch with you.