This article was originally posted by Jodi Jackson on JodiJax.com.
The M.A.D. Girls were left holding the bag. A child died. If you think we were passionate before, you haven't seen anything yet.
At last year's Red, White, & Black Party during the Super Bowl in New York we, in good faith, launched a campaign called The Other Side after visiting Haiti. The M.A.D. Girls primarily manages projects for others based on their participation.
We really got to see what was going on in this little town and school. It is a model for the country. What the Greater Good Network and Christine Low, the founder of Friends of Matenwa, has done in order to support children getting quality education is amazing! We tagged along to see how we could help.
We flew there, took a four hour ride to the top of an island with no paved roads, water, or electricity. We went to bed when the sun went down. We stayed with the families, on top of a hill. On an island.
We saw it. We experienced it.
After asking the children what they would want most out of anything, they replied, "a medical clinic." There's no nurse or hospital close by ... we took the several hour trek ourselves up that rocky dirt road. It's brutal. When all was said and done a financial commitment was declared and we were ready to execute on behalf of the campaign. That was a year ago. All I can say is, "You can lead a horse to water..."
Recently we heard from Chris that Sophia died. Sophia was a child from one of the homes our group stayed with. She died from something that was easily treatable, but she couldn't get medial treatment in time. I can't help but think that if we had that money that was promised last year, that this wouldn't have happened. What I really want to say, I can't.
So, this is the deal. We may no longer have the original "face" of the project, but we can't get those little faces off our minds. Especially Sophia's. We are going to fulfill what was promised by others. We are picking up where others left off. Others who walked away. Others who didn't follow through on their promises.... We are not O.K. with that, and we hope you aren't either.