"Life is made up of each little day...that
is what comprises our existense...each day impacts the world somehow. I
just want to question what mark I want to leave. Something that is is true/real...that
is me, my contribution to humanity and the earth."
Mironda K Heston, journal entry, March 2003
Tragically Mironda was taken from this world at the age of 24 after contracting dengue fever while working to serve the people of Haiti. Mironda had a masters degree in Sustainable International Development and spent the last several years of her life doing exactly what she wanted to do. With her beloved and respected Haitian partners, she worked each day for the empowerment, dignity, equality and humanity of the rural poor. Though Mironda may not have known it, she did leave her mark in the world. She continues to inspire us in our own search to find a place in this world as we ask " what mark do WE want to leave."
Mironda Kay Heston: Remembering a Life Fulfilled
"My heart aches for a country, it loves a people,
and desires to provide assistance. Haiti has captured my being..it continues
to draw me in with each book, each person, each song and each lesson. I
am in love with a nation, intoxicated by a culture, saddened by the grief
of the poor."
Mironda K Heston, journal entry, August 2002
Mironda's commitment to Haiti was symbolic
of her passion for life. It was selfless and undying. She strongly believed
that a better world was possible for Haitians and she dedicated herself to
the creation of that better world. While in Papaye, Mironda worked with the
Peasant Movement of Papaye (Mouvman
Peyizan Papay or the MPP). She worked
on using popular education to improve health facilities and focused her struggle
on promoting gender equality and reproductive health in the peyizan (peasant)
society. She humbly and courageously worked in conditions of constant vulnerability
to civil unrest and political tension. Her commitment was to a cause far
greater than her own comfort and safety. She tapped into a personal strength
when she moved to a country where she knew practically no one and hardly
spoke the language. Despite the challenges, Mironda thrived in her work and
personal life. She worked on proposals to help secure essential funding to
establish a health clinic in rural Haiti. The MPP movement recognized her
selfless effort and undying commitment when it named the newly established
Papaye health clinic, The Mironda Heston Community Health Center.
Mironda displayed a sound knowledge of the inequities in the world. Her commitment to international development was inspired by an appreciation of the opportunities and freedoms she enjoyed as an American. She wished to use her freedom to make a difference in the world. In a journal entry in August 2002, she wrote, "I have the power and privilege to do good things, to use that freedom, understand that freedom, and respect that freedom and to make the world a better place to live."
Mironda was an amazing woman whose accomplishments goals and attitude belied her young age. She was loved as a friend and respected as a colleague by everyone she came in contact with, and her smile and laugh was truly contagious. She was able to argue opinions without putting others on the defensive. She spoke her mind freely and had just and simple values. She was extremely dedicated to making a difference in the world and worked hard at doing so.
After Mironda's passing a memorial fund was established with the funds being donated to the medical clinic in Papay so that others may continue to do the work that she started. It is Hands Helping Haiti's hope that through our help, Mironda's work will not go unnoticed. Please consider donating to The Mironda Heston Community Health Center of Papaye.
