Voices of Haiti: Jeremy Cowart Photography brings Haiti home

He’s photographed Britney Spears, Pres. Barack Obama and Switchfoot. When the earthquake hit Haiti, Jeremy Cowart headed to the devastated nation to capture the stories of a suffering, but courageous people through his lens. Now he’s posting these images–one per day for 60 days–on his website Voices of Haiti, and selling the prints. All proceeds go to A Home in Haiti.org

Jeremy asked each person he photographed a very simple question: What do you have to say about all this?

They scribbled answers with black marker on cardboard paper. One man wrote his response on a piece of plywood. They didn’t get a say in having their lives shaken to the core, but Cowart has given them a voice in expressing what is on their hearts. Needless to say, the responses are powerful.

“Where will I go when it rains?” writes a man standing on a pile of rubble where once there might have been a house with a roof. The quake destroyed over 250,000 houses and people fear the pending rainy season. That’s where A Home in Haiti comes in, an action created by Shaun King, pastor of Courageous Church. A Home in Haiti is working to get 200,000 quality, waterproof tents to Haiti as soon as possible. Hurricane season, according to their website, is 58 days away.

Cowart’s images capture a range of realities for the people in Haiti. A man, sitting on a bed with a bandaged, amputated leg holds up his piece of paper: “Having my leg chopped off is nothing. What troubles me is my country’s government.” Cowart comments: “Haitians can get through injury and suffering. But they still need leadership.“

A grateful young mother, holding her two children close writes: “The fact that I’m still alive does not mean I’m better than the others. It’s just a gift from God.” Mathieu, who lost two siblings in the quake, is a voice for hope. He writes, even while standing in the rubble: “The earth can shake but Haiti remains in my heart.”

Again, Cowart has proven himself as photographer, as he puts it, “to the stars and the suffering.” I am just so grateful for someone like him who is offering his talents towards this great cause.

Idelette’s note: I didn’t buy one of Cowart’s prints today, but I did just purchase a Eureka Tetragon 5 Adventure 7-Foot by 5-Foot Two-Person Tent for someone in Haiti and had Amazon.com ship it to Shaun King’s Courageous Church. I did my little bit. I hope you will too.

Here are three ways you can make a difference in the lives of the people in Haiti today:

1. Purchase one of Jeremy Cowart’s prints here.

2. Buy a tent to shelter people from the rain.

3. Donate cash to A Home in Haiti.

Tags: A Home in Haiti, courageous church, haiti, how to help haiti, humanitarian, Jeremy Cowart, photographer, photos of haiti, Shaun King, Voices of Haiti