January 12, 2010 brought all eyes of the world focused on Haiti. An earthquake had turned a poverty-stricken country into a place where all hope seemed to be lost. One of the most desperate conditions was that millions of people had lost homes to live in and schools to educate the next generation.

Rotary International arrived within hours with tents for temporary houses and schools sprang up in buildings that were still standing and considered safe. The immediate need was solved but not a permanent solution for Haitians to regain a semblance of normalcy. The need for permanent structures for living quarters is still on the drawing board waiting for ample funding and long term actions.

Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club also saw the need. They did not wait for others to step forward. They took on a big commitment and set the stage to develop the Rotary Villages School. Their Haitian partners are the Petionville Rotary Club and HEART Haiti Another Rotary partner is a Rotary Club in Bulgaria whose president Nikolay Shushkov visited MARC several months ago. Rotary Club Blagoevgrad - Centrum, Rotary District 2482, Bulgaria and The Somers, N Y Rotary Club.