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By Katheran Wasson
March 11, 2010
Olguety Lambert, left, Mario Francillon, Naikee Marcelin and Rock-Andral Ludger have families in Haiti. Since they cannot go home, they are trying to raise money to aid relief efforts.
Photo By Kelly Mackey Olguety Lambert, left, Mario Francillon, Naikee Marcelin and Rock-Andral Ludger have families in Haiti. Since they cannot go home, they are trying to raise money to aid relief efforts.
Kentucky State University student Dinora Garza arranges jewelry that she and others made to raise money for four students with families in Haiti.
Photo By Kelly MackeyKentucky State University student Dinora Garza arranges jewelry that she and others made to raise money for four students with families in Haiti.

When the earthquake hit Haiti, international students at Kentucky State University started stringing beads and knitting yarn.

Students in the Scholarship for Education and Economic Development program sold their crafts on campus Wednesday, the proceeds headed to the families of four Haitian students studying at KSU.

They lined a table in the student center with sparkling beaded necklaces and earrings, striped scarves and hats, and candles. Some items were styled after the jewelry of their homes in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

They sold the jewelry for $5 each. A local church and anonymous donors gave the money to purchase supplies.

“We are all thinking as a group in everything we do,” said Rock-Andral Ludger of Haiti, as a throng of SEED students beckoned passersby to the table of handmade crafts.

“But it’s not only a group, we’re like family – brothers, sisters, cousins.”

The money raised Wednesday will go toward buying more craft supplies, with the final products to be sold at a community event April 22. 

The proceeds from that event will go to the families of Ludger, Olguety Lambert, Mario Francillon and Naikee Marcelin, who are studying at KSU for two years. 

Two of their families lost their homes in the earthquake, but their student visas only allow for one entry into the U.S. 

Ludger says it’s difficult being away from his family while they struggle.

“They have no homes,” he said. “It’s really bad and it really makes me sad, but I have to stay positive because I’m doing something great for them in the future.”

SEED brings students from disadvantaged countries to study in the U.S. for two years. They earn a 60-hour certificate in small and medium enterprise management marketing, then return home to help their home nation through community service projects.

The students will host a “remember Haiti” night April 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Carl M. Hill Student Center Ballroom. They will sell crafts and food, give presentations, perform dances and sing. 

“I think after a few months, we tend to look at the next news story and forget the people are still suffering,” said Jennifer Hubbard-Sanchez, SEED’s program coordinator.

The event is open to the public. For more information, call Hubbard-Sanchez at 502-597-5813.

“We welcome anybody who wants to come,” she said. “You don’t have to buy anything or donate – you can just come and meet people from other countries.”

 




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