The good Cornellians can do: Katherine Buehl McMahon ’92

Katherine Buehl McMahon '92 was a founding member of Haiti In Our Hands, a program supporting the community of Chauffard, Haiti since 2000. Katherine has been the program's chairperson since Haiti's 2010 earthquake.

Haiti In Our Hands funds a school lunch program for more than 1,000 students at five schools, and the program has also led nine medical missions to the village's health clinic.

"There is a great group of volunteers here in Syracuse who put together the majority of our fundraisers, and the medical missions have attracted volunteers from across the northeastern US, as well as Canada and the UK," Katherine says.

Haiti In Our Hands is currently partnered with the Smallholder Farmers' Alliance and Raising Haiti to bring training and improved seed to farmers, as well as a fruit tree nursery and goats to the community. Another important ongoing effort is supplementing salaries for schoolteachers, and the clinic's doctors and nurses.

Past projects include raising funding for rebuilding the health clinic, school kitchen, rectory/offices and church, building 29 homes following hurricanes, buying solar panels and batteries for electricity in the clinic, school offices and rectory, and and purchasing a four-wheel drive vehicle for the parish.

"This social justice partnership has helped all of us involved learn the good and challenging sides of charity and politics. A lot of trust is involved," Katherine says.

"Following graduation, I served in Senegal and the Ivory Coast with the Peace Corps. That experience shaped my perspective of development and my understanding of issues this community is facing, such as lack of clean water and job opportunities."

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