Supermodel Petra Nemcova Helps Haiti With Happy Hearts Fund

In 2004, Petra Nemcova fell victim to the devastating tsunami disaster in Thailand. Severely injured and separated from her fiance, she held on to a tree for over eight hours before help arrived.

However, more than her injuries, she says she was impacted most by hearing cries of help she could not answer.

"I was not able to help those children," Nemcova told ABC News. "You heard them screaming for help and after some time you couldn't hear their voices anymore."

Soon after her recovery, she was moved to action. Nemcova founded the Happy Hearts Fund to help children regain access to education after natural disasters. Thus far, her organization has helped rebuild at least 50 children education centers in nine countries.

This year, the Happy Hearts Fund opened a school in Haiti, reports ABC News.

As 50 percent of Haiti's children do not attend school, Nemcova hopes to encourage Haiti to invest in its next generation.

WATCH:

Comments

[Trickish Knave]

02:06 PM on 06/04/2011

If they could start a Happy Hands chapter in Haiti they would be golden.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/32/44175511_600fc67314.jpg

[Ariel Dominique]

03:05 PM on 05/22/2011

Wow, this documentary has shown me that celebrities and news media really mislead with no shame whatsoever; more than I ever thought! By looking at this ABC segment, I would think Petra Nemcova was involved in the school building process from beginning to end. That it was almost her idea. that without her these poor children would have no chance at an education. The truth is the model's foundation gave money to a Haitian Foundation that would have done it with or without her. It was their idea, their work, and it is they who will be operating the school. Now u would think that it would be mentioned in passing; for the sake of full disclosure, or out of respect for Haitians. This Haitian organization, Prodev, has built two schools since the devastating earthquake. If I am not mistaken, Ms. Nemcova only visited the kindergarten portion of that one school on the day of the opening. Now I am not undermining the fact that her foundation did choose this school and this organization. Nor I’m I saying that Petra Nemcova does not care. But frankly, by not mentioning the Haitian organization responsible for this project Ms. Nemcova and her handlers undermine the very same people they r trying to help. The story is that Haitians do for themselves and Ms. Nemcova simply/kindly contributed to a project well underway.
Check for yourselves

http://www.Prodevhaiti.org
http://zoranjeschool.blogspot.com/

[pdxpaul1]

01:25 PM on 05/19/2011

way to go!! god bless you and your efforts,shalom

[Radarman]

11:54 AM on 05/19/2011

I don't doubt her sincerity. But it looks like the people of Haiti will need a champion and I hope she can step up. The Clinton Bush Haiti fund has collected $52 million plus. The fund as sent very few dollars to actually help the people of Haiti. But it is investing $2 million to complete the 130-room Oasis Hotel. This fabulous hotel will insure the rich and famous have a nice place to stay when they come down to help the poor who are still living in tents and dieing of cholera. How about she make her first task getting some of that $52M to go to housing for the people of Haiti before it is all used up building hotels.