Our Kilimanjaro climbers have returned to work and begun to settle back into their normal routines. The climb was an experience that they are not likely to forget. Most of them are not likely to repeat it either. They are content to be answering emails, following up with customers, and performing other relatively tame activities.

Each of them had their own reasons for attempting the climb, but they also shared the common goal of improving the lives of people in Haiti. It has been over a year since a devastating earthquake struck Port-au-Prince and the problems in Haiti are seldom on the front page now. Of course, it is natural for public attention and media focus to shift away from a natural disaster.

Several Alltech people have traveled to Haiti since the earthquake. They have gone to work on various aspects of the Alltech Sustainable Haiti Project, lending their particular expertise to the project. Some have gone to help the small fair trade coffee growers in northeastern Haiti. Some have gone to work on plans for an Alltech facility and poultry operation. Several have gone to work with school children in Ouanaminthe.

Jorge Gotuzzo was one of the eight Alltech people that climbed Kilimanjaro last week. No one from Alltech has spent more time in Haiti than Jorge. He stayed there for several weeks last summer working through red-tape to obtain visas for the Haitian Harmony choir. The choir was chosen and trained by University of Kentucky music students. They traveled to Kentucky to raise awareness of Haiti?s plight by performing during the Alltech WEG. Jorge will not forget Kilimanjaro or Haiti anytime soon.

This brief video is a reminder of the devastation in Haiti following the earthquake. There is a lot of work left to do there.

If you would like to help Haiti by supporting long-term improvements to sustainable agriculture and education, visit the Alltech Sustainable Haiti Project donation page.