MEXICO CITY — In her first solo trip overseas as first lady, Michelle Obama made an unannounced visit to Haiti on Tuesday, flying over the earthquake-damaged capital in an Army helicopter, meeting with Haiti’s president and first lady in the ravaged National Palace and dancing with young children whose homes were destroyed.
“It’s powerful,” Mrs. Obama said after surveying the wreckage left by the Jan. 12 earthquake from above. “The devastation is definitely powerful.”
Accompanied by Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, Mrs. Obama entered a play area set aside to provide therapy to children now living in a giant squatter camp on the Champs de Mars.
“We are glad to see you,” the children sang out in Creole. The Haitian first lady, Elisabeth Préval, who attended school in the United States, served as Mrs. Obama’s translator.
Mrs. Obama was due to arrive in Mexico City on Tuesday night to kick off a trip that aides said will open her efforts to inspire and engage children around the world.
Presidential aides said security concerns prompted the stopover in Haiti to be kept secret until she landed. The visit, a White House statement said, was meant “to underscore to the Haitian people and the Haitian government the enduring U.S. commitment to help Haiti recover and rebuild, especially as we enter the rainy and hurricane seasons.”
Mrs. Obama was also scheduled to offer thanks to the many aid workers from around the world who have helped rebuild Haiti over the last three months.
Mrs. Obama is one of many high-profile visitors to Haiti in recent days. Others include Shakira, Demi Moore, Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Numerous world leaders have also visited since the earthquake, prompting some Haitians to openly wonder when President Obama, who is extremely popular in their country, will visit.
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