In January, Irish aid worker Andrew Grene was killed in the earthquake in Haiti while working for the United Nations.
This week, his identical twin Gregory Grene is back in the U.S. after a somber visit to the island. Gregory traveled to Haiti with close friend Tim Perutz, after the pair set up the Andrew Grene Foundation.
Six months after the earthquake, Grene hopes that by highlighting the dire conditions that still prevail in Haiti, the world will focus on helping the Haitian people over the long term.
'There was the part of the trip that was very personal, seeing where my twin died and then the other part of seeing what you can do,' Grene told the press.
'When you’re down there, you see there are so many targets of need, it’s not like you have to try and find worthwhile projects, it’s having to choose amongst so many,' Grene added.
The Grene foundation offers academic scholarships to four Haitian students. Grene and Perutz also considered financing the construction of a new school, but at present ,the building regulations and construction approaches were still in flux.
'We hope what we provide will start small but complex miracles because every student who achieves an education will help form a new generation in Haiti,' said Grene.
Grene said that everywhere they went in Port au Prince and beyond, he heard local admiration for the work his brother Andrew did over the past several years while a special assistant for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.
During his emotional visit, Grene was asked to cut the ribbon at a new studio named in honor of his brother during his visit.
The Grene family hail from County Cavan, although the two brothers and their families have lived in the New York and Chicago areas for many years.
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