Story
<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my UPDATED (27th Oct)JustGiving page.</p>
<p><strong>I went to Haiti on 12th October to help improve the lives of orphans</strong> with a small team from the charity Bright Tomorrows. We got home last Friday 21st October.</p>
<p>We went to build a house for 50 orphans in a rural area just outside of Port au Prince.<strong><em>The house cost £7,000 to build and while we were there we bought £1000 worth of new matresses for the children.</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>We still need to buy more mattresses and bedding AND we need another house - because there are now 84 children to help!!</em></strong></p>
<p>It was a relentless week! We were up at 5am everyday for our hot powdered milk and cornflakes and got home around 6/7pm every evening. The sights, smells and sounds on the journey were like nothing I have ever experienced. From the filthy rubbish piled high on the streets to the perfectly presented primary school children with ribbons in their hair - it was a truely wonderful opportunity to help these people.</p>
<p>It took us around an hour to get to/from work every day. We weren't allowed to stay on site because it was too dangerous and had tents pitched in the grounds of the police station. A visit to the (scarce) local supermarkets (haunted only by the rich) involved passing armed guards on the door and paying extortionate rates for simple supplies - 5 1lt bottles of water for $25</p>
<p>Everyone worked totally flat out in the unbearable heat - reaching 45 degrees - to build the house. Humping, heaving, banging, painting, mixing, wiring. Take a look at the pictures for a before and after to see the finished article....</p>
<p>We got home every night to a pipe from the ceiling with cold water that we called our shower and the inevitable plate of rice - which varied daily with peas, sweetcorn, spam - sometimes yellow and sometimes white! To add insult to injury I couldn't blow dry or straighten my hair all week and only had one pair of shorts with me that met the dress code so wore them all week. But do you know what - I really didn't care what I looked like and did my best not to stink! Most of us were tucked up in our tent by 9pm each night, only to be bitten alive during the night by mosquitos...</p>
<p>I'm not even going to mention the taranchulars and rats we lived with........</p>
<p>I met an amazing team of people who I will forever call my friends - each of us there for different reasons and with different skills but hopefully bonded forever by the experience. Thank you to them all for their care and support throughout, Francis, Sarah, Flor, Richard, Simon, Jack, Paul, Louis, Joe, Tom,Tristian and Mike. I'm really looking forward to seeing them all again on 12th Nov.</p>
<p>It was tough, it was hard work, it was awful in so many ways but yet SO rewarding. The people were SO grateful of our help - it was a truely amazing experience and if I get the chance to do it again...? The answer is YES, definitely.....</p>
<p>Over 80% of the population have been living significantly below the poverty line since the devastaing earthquake in 2010. Meeting basic human needs are their only priorities every day including ensuring they have food and fresh water. Please help me to help them and spare a few pounds to support our project.</p>
<p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p>
<p><em><strong>So please dig deep, support me, the team and the orphans and donate now.</strong></em></p>