MU Professor to Speak on the Challenges of Aid and Reconstruction in Haiti

March 24th, 2010

WHAT: The University of Missouri International Center will host a lecture entitled “The Challenges of Aid and Reconstruction in Post-Earthquake Haiti,” presented by Valerie Kaussen, associate professor of French and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures in the MU College of Arts and Science. Kaussen will discuss her experiences working in Haitian relief efforts following the recent earthquake. She plans to address what she views are the challenges and pitfalls of Haiti’s recovery along with proposed models for post-earthquake development.

WHO: Kaussen has studied Haiti extensively and was volunteering and researching in Port-au-Prince at the time of the earthquake. She was unharmed and returned to Missouri shortly after. Since then, she has given numerous presentations about Haiti at local schools and for community groups. She will return to Haiti on March 29 for one week.

WHEN: 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 24.

WHERE: Jesse Wrench Auditorium, Memorial Union, MU Campus.

NOTE: This event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted on behalf of the Lambi Fund of Haiti, a non-profit organization supporting the Haitian democratic movement. The event is sponsored by the MU International Center; the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and the Department of Political Science in the MU College of Arts and Science; the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Division of Applied Sciences; the Missouri School of Journalism and the Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (AIESEC).