She was 24 when she moved to Haiti full-time in 2009. The year before, Brittany Hilker<\/strong> had visited Haiti for four days with her cousin who was adopting children there and she says after that one visit, she was never the same. The stark reality of the lack of malnutrition care stirred a newfound passion within her. Witnessing parents living in desperation, with malnourished children and nowhere to turn became a catalyst for action.<\/p>\n

To truly engage in caregiving for the people she had been inspired to support, she knew that she had to reside in Haiti full-time. She left her hometown of Tri Cities, WA, to take root in Haiti.<\/p>\n

“It was like I just knew I belonged there. The love, the need, the simplicity of life, it all drew me in and I can’t explain it much more than just a knowing that I needed to be there. I wrapped up grad school back in the States and moved to Haiti 5 days after I graduated,” Brittany shares.<\/p>\n

After having earned a Masters in Social Work, she was able to use her passion for helping people to live and work alongside the Haitian community, immersing herself in the language, culture, and building profound connections with the people. Her perspective evolved from perceiving them as strangers facing foreign issues to considering them her friends, brothers, and sisters, all grappling with challenges she had the capacity to address.<\/p>\n