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Jennifer Gettel knows every little bit helps.

The fourth-year child and youth care student travelled to Haiti last summer to help rebuild homes shattered by the 2010 earthquake and she also worked in a local camp that creates recreational programs for children.

January 12 marks the two- year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other areas. The quake measured 7.0 on the Richter scale and killed an estimated 320,000 people.

Gettel spent most of her two weeks in Jacmel, a town four hours south of Port-au-Prince. She travelled with 20 other people from her church – a mix of adults, high school and university students – and assisted a local non-profit organization called Joy in Hope. Gettel has worked as a camp coordinator and had experience leading youth in her church. In 2007 she travelled to New Orleans to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. She felt it was important to experience different cultures in her quest to help others.

“It’s hard to tell what’s been damaged from the quake and what’s extreme poverty,” Gettel said. “They have so little resources there but they make things work. There are a lot of good things happening there.”

Gettel split her time between handling a hammer and nails and working with children. Joy in Hope gathers youth from five to 22-years-old to participate in camp activities. Gettel was responsible for setting up three stations for young people: crafts, games and bible stories. In addition to helping children, Gettel raised money to buy lunches and distributed more than 200 pairs of Crocs, toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, colouring books and crayons.

“This trip made me realize how happy people can be with so little,” she said. “Kids there are very trusting and sometimes we couldn’t get a translator so donating goods was a way to show you cared without using words.”

Although it’s been two years since the earthquake and citizens and organizations have been working hard to repair the damage, Gettel says there’s still plenty to be done. And while fundraising and rebuilding communities remain a priority, Gettel invites people to invest more than just their pocketbooks into the cause.

“People should know that handing out money isn’t always the best solution,” she said. “They need to be taught what resources are available to them and what they can do with it. I would encourage people donating to really look where their money is going.”