Journalist's First-Hand Report of Haiti's Recovery at Haverford College Oct. 20, 21

Allyn Gaestel has been living in Haiti for the past several months, and she is back in the United States to give a first hand account of the country's struggle to recover from a devastating earthquake earlier this year.

Gaestel is a recent Haverford College graduate working with MediaGlobal, a United Nations news group. She will give two lectures at Haverford College, open to the public, on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 20-21.

The first lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Stokes 102 on Haverford's campus, and the second will be at noon on Thursday, Oct. 21, at Haverford's Center for Peace and Global Citizenship Cafe (Stokes 104).

In an interview for the Haverford College website, Gaestel said, "From what I see, the recovery is moving very, very slowly.  Rubble is still on the ground, people still live in tents, and the majority of aid money pledged has not been delivered."

"Most Haitians are rebuilding their lives themselves, relying on friends, family members and their own entrepreneurship to meet their daily needs.  But it is still extremely precarious," she said. Gaestel chronicled some of her experience on the Foreign Policy Human Rights Blog, and will share her full story during her lectures.

More information about the event, as well as a question and answer with Gaestel is posted on the Haverford College website.