Haiti

There are so many organizations out there dedicated to helping the poor in other countries, but dehumanize and exploit people in poverty by using a photo of them helpless, starving, and covered in dust, to guilt people into digging deeper into their pockets for donations. All too often on TV and online we see these negative visuals that do not accurately portray the person or region shown. 
My goal going into Haiti was to bring home positive visuals that would inspire-not guilt-people to help. And the further into the week I got, the easier the goal became to reach. Haitians are some of the kindest people I've ever met, and some were very, very eager to have their photo taken. Simply greeting someone as they walked past would brighten both of our days. I worked alongside handymen mixing concrete in 93 degree heat to make a basketball court for a community. Despite the conditions and lack of resources, It was nearly completed within 3 days. Any country would be happy to have such hardworking people as the Haitians.I am still humbled by the kindness and the way of life of the villagers I've met.