Fancy Haitian golf course becomes ground zero for relief effort

Welcome to the Petionville Club, a lush golf and country club resort located on a hill above Port-au-Prince. Wait, Haiti has a golf and country club? Well, it did; now it’s been taken over by the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, which has transformed the fairways and tennis courts into a water and food distribution center for earthquake victims, where nearly 50,000 earthquake survivors now live in tents. There is perhaps no more stark reminder of how people have been ignoring the conditions in Haiti that have led to the current state of misery.
Video following the jump.

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From the excellent post at Golf Girl’s Diary, found via Sports by Brooks:

Before the earthquake I had never heard of Petionville Club… or its nine hole golf course with sweeping views of the sea. In fact, I never would have guessed there was a course in Haiti because, like many Americans, I knew very well that Haiti was one of the poorest countries in the world… and I conveniently stored that fact in the back of my mind along with other things “I’d worry about later.”

The natural disaster that took place there almost a week ago has moved me… and many others… to focus on Haiti and the Haitian people while they attempt to restore order to their devastated country. I hope we can take our assistance beyond the disaster to help them fight the poverty that we ignored for so long. There are many ways to donate to Haiti, the important thing is to find an organization that genuinely helps the people in need. I feel the Red Cross is a good place to start.

How you can help.
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NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams [Official Site]
50,000 Haitian Refugees Takeover Plush Golf Club [SportsbyBrooks]
Petionville Golf Course — ground zero in ravaged Haiti [Golf Girl's Diary]
Red Cross [Official Site]