More Pictures from Haiti - Meetings

We have a pretty tight schedule of meetings in Haiti. Here are a handful of the photos from most of those meetings. The folks we met with included:

• Haitian First Lady Mrs. Elizabeth Preval
• Dr. Pean, Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities
• Mr. Jean E. Baker, President of Haitian Olympic Committee
• Mrs. Marie M. Rey, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Mr. Gwenael Apollon, Secretary General of the YMCA
• Special Olympics Haiti HQ Staff, Volunteers and Regional Delegates

Time to 'Stop Pretending'

We had a great meeting with our new coaches and camp managers this morning. The Special Olympics Haiti office, though full of cracks in walls and ceilings, is still standing. And that's where we introduced our new team to the goal of standing up for people with intellectual disabilities this summer and beyond.

We were also honored to meet First Lady Elizabeth Preval. She was totally committed to our work and wants to come to our summer camps and then convene a national meeting to put our athletes on the agenda for the future of the country. And then Haiti's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marie-Michele Rey, said something so powerful: "in Haiti, we must stop pretending...stop pretending that people with intellectual disabilities don't exist, stop pretending that what we are doing as a government is working. Special Olympics can help us build a new Haiti where we face the reality that everyone has a right to a decent life. Everyone!"

If today is any indication, we're going to have a lot of support for our announcement of the relaunch of SO Haiti tomorrow!

Stay tuned.