The 41-year-old wrote a blog post for the organisation’s website, detailing her experiences in the country – four years after it was hit by a devastating earthquake.
“The first thing that struck me about Haiti was the chaos. While much of the rubble has been cleared from the streets and the earthquake is four and a half years behind them, millions of Haitians are still living in grinding poverty,” she wrote.
“More than 100,000 people are still homeless as a result of the earthquake. They are living underneath tarps and corrugated iron, unable to move to safer, more permanent housing simply because they cannot afford it.”
Collette said she had never witnessed poverty to that in Haiti.
“The kind that is so deep and wide-reaching that it feels impossible to make a difference. But I found in Haiti that lives can and are being changed,” she said.
“It may take a lot of work and time but Concern has, and continues to make, serious progress because they stayed long after the world moved on from Haiti. They listen closely to those who need help and believe me it makes all the difference.”
The Little Miss Sunshine and Muriel’s Wedding star was appointed Concern WorldWide’s first official global ambassador in April this year. The international humanitarian organisation is dedicated to tackling poverty and suffering in the world’s poorest countries.
