CSW attends Partners in Health Symposium on Haiti Relief

By Caroline Friedland '13
Students from The Cambridge School of Weston attended the Thomas J. White Symposium at Harvard University to explore the lessons learned in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

The annual event by Partners in Health (PIH) brings family, friends, and advocates together to discuss issues, particularly around health and social justice for the poor. Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl are the co-founders of PIH and were featured speakers in the program.

“It was inspiring to hear what these people had done the day of the Earthquake and how much they gave up even if it was just to save one person,” said Jenny Surinach ’11, one of the students who attended the event. “It was also interesting to see all these people that came from different parts of the world (Russia, Asia) coming together for a cause.”

Along with Jenny, Christian Allen ’11, Nate Bierbrier ’11, Llundon Lawson ’12, Asha Parker ’11, Shari Quashie ’12, and Kandice Simmons ’12 also attended the symposium. Chris Bierbrier, parent of Nate Bierbrier, attended the event, as well as Joyce Krensky, community service coordinator.

This year’s symposium explored how acute disasters like the earthquake in Haiti impact communities already ravaged by poverty and disease, and how PIH’s commitment to breaking this vicious cycle has enabled emergency responders to react effectively to the need for both emergency relief and long-term recovery. An estimated 3 million people were affected by the quake last January. The Haitian government reported that an estimated 230,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 were homeless.