Me

the proximity of Haiti and Puerto Rico, I felt that I had to go there as soon as possible to see how I could help. But just like with the tsunami in Thailand, a lot of people tried to talk me out of it, saying, “That’s total chaos there, Ricky. What are you going to do over there?” But like with the tsunami, I felt deep in my soul that it was something I had to do. I had to go there and walk the streets and live what our Haitian brothers and sisters were living, to really know what I could do to help. Just being there I could feel, resonate, and understand what was going on in order to lend a hand.
    And the truth is that I could never have imagined what I would find upon arriving in Port-au-Prince. It was absolute chaos, but a chaos unlike anything I had ever seen before, even in Thailand. The structures were all collapsed—there were areas were there was literally not one single building left standing—and the streets were littered with corpses and remains of the dead wherever you looked. On top of that, there was zero organization. While in Thailand there was some semblance of order via the government and the local entities that still stood, in Haiti there was nothing. There was no government structure in charge and not even community leaders, because the majority had perished. Being in Haiti was like living in some kind of living hell; I have never seen anything like it. The devastation was such that even the organizations that specialized in the recovery and aftermath of natural disasters, professionals on the subject, were completely lost and didn’t know where to begin.
    Like in Thailand, after visiting the most damaged area, we decided that the best way to help would be by building homes, the idea being once again that if children have homes to come back to, they will stay off the streets, where they are most vulnerable to the traffickers. With all of our foundation projects, we always try to think in terms of the big picture. It’s not about finding a solution just for today and tomorrow alone. We want to find ways of helping that are permanent and serve to prevent more tragedies or dangerous situations in the future.
    So we again joined forces with Habitat for Humanity, and together we are implementing both short-term and long-term housing solutions for children and families in Haiti. We have already provided emergency temporary shelter and housing solutions to hundreds affected by the quake, and soon we will begin construction on permanent homes. Once again, our alliance is providing safety and shelter for children whose lives could otherwise be in danger as a result of this natural disaster, and by doing so we are providing hope for their futures. I can’t wait to meet the Haitian families and hand them the keys to their permanent homes, which will be built with love, just as the homes in Thailand were. In the meantime, with the collaboration of many colleagues from the entertainment world, I recorded a series of public service announcements (in English and Spanish) urging the world to help Haiti. Slowly but surely we are making a difference, as tiny as it may seem in the sea of problems that Haiti faces today. Once again, here, like with so many different aspects of my life, I have learned that I have to focus on what I have done, as opposed to what is left to do. Otherwise, it would be too overwhelming.

SEVEN
    FATHERHOOD
    SOONER OR LATER WE ALL REACH A POINT WHEN WE aspire to do more with our lives. We begin to realize that it is no longer enough to simply exist in the world, and we feel the need to transcend who we are to become something greater. For me, that aspiration manifested itself in my desire to be a father.
    Even though my work battling human trafficking in some way did fulfill my desire to do something I felt was important, I cannot say that it was enough to completely fill my soul. I had arrived at a point in my life where I simply wanted more: a family of my own. For me, having a child means you are ready to give yourself entirely, and that’s exactly how I was feeling. I no longer wanted to wait for the right moment or the perfect partner to do it: I was ready to be a father, and once I understood this, I did what I had to do to turn my dream into a reality.

MAKING THE LEAP
    IN TRUTH, IT Started with Baby Wave, because when I met him the first thing I thought was that I wanted to adopt him. At the time, I was told that single fathers are not allowed to adopt in Thailand, so