There is a long road ahead to rebuilding Haiti, but local charity Cornerstone Foundation is determined to make a difference one mission trip at a time.Foundation president Pastor Gary Simons has so far led the organisation on seven mission trips to Port-au-Prince.He has seen more than 100 volunteers, from eight to 65 years old, participate in feeding and education programmes in Petionville.And he has helped to raise nearly $250,000 to pay for food, clothing, a large tent, and medical supplies at a camp in the Port-au-Prince suburb.For Pastor Simons, who is backed by the foundation’s vice president Mary Samuels, such trips serve to empower a new generation of Haitians to be the leaders of the future.The charity offers arts and crafts programmes for persons suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and has sponsored a handful of young people in getting their education.Ms Samuels said the impoverished nation lost a generation of doctors and young professionals after the devastating earthquake last January 12.One of the sponsored university students, Nickson, saw every single student in the first, second and third year wiped out in the disaster.The fourth-year student’s class survived because of the location of the building, Ms Samuels explained.Another student Cornerstone is helping is an aspiring nurse. She witnessed the death of 90 students in her class, all between the ages of 18 and 25.“There was an incredible number of that generation that was lost and that is the hope of Haiti, their doctors, accountants and nurses,” said Ms Samuels.“The ones that survived, they are resilient. Those like Nickson worked in the clinic and helped people even though they were traumatised by what was happening. Their school was destroyed and they didn’t get back to school to finish their year in May or June.”Pastor Simons believes it will be a long road before the nation returns to the days when it was known as the ‘jewel of the Caribbean’.It’s still possible to see the rubble, which includes students’ chairs from the schools, if travelling through the area of southern Haiti, he said. Rebuilding will have to start from the top.“I think for the country to make a true turn it is probably good to start from the leadership down and until there is integrity in the leadership of the country I do not know what will happen.“And I think the leadership of the church is also key, as hearts have to change. There is so much corruption, from the smallest to the greatest. It is almost like you are in a constant fight for order and integrity.”Since the earthquake, and particularly around the November 28 election, the feeding programme was constantly monitored by security guards.Pastor Simons said kidnappings had started again in the country and that sometimes gunshots could be heard at the camp.Still, both foundation leaders said people were thankful for even the smallest of things and very appreciative.The people living in the camp, some of whom were from middle and upper middle-class backgrounds, take pride in their tented communities.People worked constantly to keep the area clean, with some even growing flowers outside the tent, Ms Samuels said.Many were still traumatised from losing their homes and loved ones, but the Cornerstone Foundation and other charity groups are trying to restore hope.This year the Cornerstone Foundation plans to establish more programmes to empower Bermuda’s youth, but expects to maintain the programmes already in place in Haiti.Pastor Simons said: “Our hope is through the mission home we support there will be strong leadership that will rise up out of it and make an impact in the country.“We see our role as not just short-term, but long-term. We hope this year there might be people in the streets or in a gang who will not only have a personal relationship with the Lord but be exemplary leaders in their country.“We want them to lead the country to righteousness and full control. I see it as more of a spiritual issue than an economic issue. It is a heart change that needs to take place.”Ms Samuels added: “We hope to continue the investment we already have in the country and the potential we already see.“We see young people that are growing up in mission houses that want to make a difference in their own country and appreciate the support. They have very compassionate hearts and they are making a difference.”l Cornerstone Foundation is a charity associated with Cornerstone Bible Fellowship, a non-denominational church on the Island. The volunteers and donations came from companies and churches including Calvary Gospel Chapel, Allied World, Ace Bermuda, as well as many others.l More on the one-year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake, turn to page 39