Along with hosting various high teas around campus and within the community, WAF has also been working closely with the island of Haiti for the past two years, and with the recent happenings down in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, WAF is reaching out to the community for help. The World Affairs Forum (WAF) at Seton Hill University (SHU) has been striving to help develop a community of informed citizens by bringing together people of diverse and independent voice, politic, belief, idea, ability, vocation, learning, philosophy, and action.
By Stephanie Wytovich
Staff Writer
Along with hosting various high teas around campus and within the community, WAF has also been working closely with the island of Haiti for the past two years, and with the recent happenings down in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, WAF is reaching out to the community for help. The World Affairs Forum (WAF) at Seton Hill University (SHU) has been striving to help develop a community of informed citizens by bringing together people of diverse and independent voice, politic, belief, idea, ability, vocation, learning, philosophy, and action.
For the past two years, WAF has been collecting donations for the Rose Mina Diegue Orphanage in Haiti. Rolande and Osvaldo Fernandez, whoown this orphanage, left their lives in Argentina to return to Haiti in pursuit of changing the lives of those who are less fortunate than themselves. Their mission started about eleven years ago when they found a newborn baby girl abandoned in a garbage dump, and decided to adopt her.
When news of their gracious behavior got around, parents continually asked for their help if they could not take care of their own children; in extreme cases, some children were just left on their doorstep. Currently, there are between 70-75 children staying at the Rose Mina Diegue, who need the essentials to start/continue their lives, not to mention the love and care of someone who will stand by their side.
The goal of WAF is to initiate, foster and sustain balanced environments for discourse toward greater understanding of social, geopolitical and cultural issues that impact our human condition, encouraging individual and group action to resolve conflict and create community. Since fall semester of 2009 SHU has been collecting various items such as linens, clothes, belts, accessories, shoes, school supplies, blankets, etc. and donating them to the orphanage.
Due to our efforts, as well as several others who have pitched in the cause, Cecilia