David Adewumi's plans for spring break don't look like those of most other college juniors. He won't be heading to a resort town for a week of beaches and bars, or home for a week of naps and TV-watching.
Instead, he and 10 other students from Pennsylvania State University will fly south to Haiti, on an earthquake relief trip. They expect to spend a week helping with minor medical care, food distribution and shelter building. "We know we're a tiny Band-Aid on a huge wound," he said. "But we're still doing what we can to help."
While the idea of a group of students taking short trips to impoverished and natural disaster-prone places is nothing new, travels to Haiti this spring are being discouraged by many colleges and aid groups. Less than a month and a half since a devastating earthquake hit the nation, its wounds are still fresh, food and water are still scarce, and, experts argue, the only volunteers needed are people with specific skills.
Even so, the Penn State group and many other American college students are determined to lend a hand in the coming weeks.
Source: USA Today | Jennifer Epstein, Inside Higher Ed
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