Snapshot: Oswego Photographer Visits Haiti and Reveals Need for New School

Todd Pierson, a local Oswego photographer/director recently returned from his fourth trip to Haiti.

He said the needs there never change and are never ending. The purpose for this trip was to film an even more rural village than last year and to document the need for a new school there.

The village called Plaine Marie is so isolated, that when people from New Life for Haiti, the village Pierson volunteers with, walked into the village last year, they discovered they were the first outsiders to visit in almost 100 years. Kids ran up to them because the "white people" were such a novelty.

"It's kind of strange in a way that when I'm there, I get used to seeing needs everywhere, then I come home and the contrast between Haiti and the states becomes so stark," said Pierson. "I shot some clips of kids going into an old building to show the needs for a new school."

"As I scrutinized the footage for editing, I realized these kids shoes were falling off of their feet. It blows you away. Could you imagine your kids wearing these shoes to school here in Oswego?"

The video Pierson worked on can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/48182831

Special thanks to Todd Pierson for providing the release and photos.