Last year, the SEIU 121RN Executive Board voted to support a young nursing student studying at the Faculty of Nursing Science of the Episcopal University of Haiti (FSIL or Faculté des Sciences Infirmières de l’Université Episcopale d’Haïti in Léogâne in French). Haiti was hard hit by the massive earthquake that hit the island in 2010, and has since also had to deal with a widespread cholera outbreak. Due to these problems and long-standing issues of poverty and lack of educational facilities, many Haiti residents do not have the opportunity to attend or resources to pay for further education such as nursing school.

"When the earthquake hit in January of 2010, many of the nurses in Haiti were killed," said SEIU 121RN President Gayle Batiste, a Registered Operating Room Nurse at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. "121RN is supporting the comeback of nursing in Haiti and helping Haiti to sustain itself. We're proud to sponsor a nursing student."

Batiste recently received a letter updating her on our sponsored student's progress.

Marjorie Marc recently completed her first year at FSIL. Marjorie is one of eight children, and her mother has been a teacher for 34 years. Marjorie says her mother never studied at a university, but four of her children are now studying in universities.

Marjorie said in her letter that the most difficult part of her first year of nursing school was the terminology and anthropology. "My expectation for the next year is to work more, making efforts regarding my studies and also because my life is going to help others."

"At FSIL, what I like the most is the way we work together so that is different from other schools. I have learned a lot," Marjorie wrote.

Batiste, who traveled to Haiti with a delegation of SEIU nurses in April 0f 2011 to assess how SEIU could help healthcare workers and patients there, said she wishes our Union could do more to help the Haitian people.

"What we are doing is a drop in the bucket. One day I hope we are able to fill that bucket," Batiste said. "I wish we could give or find more support for this much-needed occupation in Haiti. Even though our efforts are small, we are helping lift one more person our of poverty and, in turn, they are fulfilling a vital need in their community."