Seven students and two professors spent a week in March documenting ongoing fallout from the 2010 earthquake that rendered more than 1 million Haitian people homeless.

Students described the journey as a life-altering experience, since it introduced them to the rigors of life for displaced Haitians, who live in sweltering tents without access to adequate water, schools or health care facilities.

The trip was organized by the Drexel Haiti Justice Project, a student-led initiative that seeks to promote human rights in the beleaguered island nation. The project operates in concert with the Lamp for Haiti Foundation, which runs a health care clinic and provides legal services in Cite Soleil, a massive slum on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

Aiming to compile a report on transitional housing being developed by non-governmental organizations, the delegation interviewed displaced Cite Soleil residents and officials from several charities that are building new homes.

Unfortunately, 3L Yuan Tang said, the delegation came away wondering if the new housing will soon become a slum.

Giselle Aloi, a 2L, noted that the group visited one new settlement built so close to the coast that there is no potable well water near any of the homes. "They're creating a cycle of dependence," Aloi said.

Adan Cerda, a 3L, said the delegation did meet with officials from one organization that made an unusual effort to give Haitians a voice in their own destiny.

But for the most part, charities have limited control over the settlements' locations, which are chosen by the Haitian government, said Susan L. Brooks, associate dean for experiential learning and associate professor of law. The desire on the part of donors like the U.S. government to see tangible results tends to outweigh considerations about the projects' long-term feasibility, Brooks said.

Ted Oswald, a 3L who launched the Haiti Justice Project in 2009, said the delegation hopes to highlight parallels between the new projects and Cite Soleil, which was built decades ago but quickly became a slum.

Oswald called his work with the project "one of the most satisfying things for me in law school" and said he is thrilled to see other students take an interest in the desperate circumstances that many Haitians face.

Thomas Griffin, co-founder of the Lamp for Haiti Foundation and an adjunct professor at the law school, praised everyone from the students to Dean Roger Dennis for supporting the project.

"I don't think there's any law school that does this," Griffin said, referring to the decision to create an International Human Rights Law course as a prelude to the trip. "To have such a cool law school as this willing to think about going to Haiti is a dream for someone like me. There will be a voice and fighters for Haiti."