Haiti Outreach

A high performing board does not happen overnight. It involves careful planning, consideration, and commitment. We simply could not continue to do our sustainable development leadership work without the strong and diverse board that makes up Haiti Outreach. To express our gratitude, we’d like to highlight board member: Dionissi Aliprantis. Federal Reserve Economist, Dionissi Alipratis, first traveled to Haiti at the age of 18, returning home with a fascination for Haitian history. Being of Greek descent, Dionissi began to notice similarities between Greek and Haiti’s efforts of resistance and liberation. This brought him to the writings of Haitian revolutionary, Toussaint Louverture. Then, he realized, the fight for liberation and equality transcends nationality, race, and culture. “It doesn't matter that I am Greek and not Turkish, or that my kids are French and not Haitian–the Haitian Revolution represents the fight for beautiful ideals that we should all join.” Influenced by philosopher Leif Wenar and his views on effective altruism, Dionissi found himself in agreement with one specific idea of the social movement: a sense of urgency. Dionissi recognizes the urgency of Haiti’s situation, and the importance of converting our financial resources into real support. This notion draws a direct parallel to the work of Haiti Outreach; to our model of sustainable support. When we asked what brought him to Haiti Outreach, he expressed appreciation for the way we operate. He says, “Haiti Outreach is responding to the urgency of the moment in Haiti, but in a way that is based on solidarity before charity. Maximizing sustainability by working with Haitians to address their specific needs, rather than working on just on behalf of Haitians, for the advancement of Haiti." We are also so grateful for the wonderful research work he did highlighting our work, "What Is the Equity-Efficiency Tradeoff When Maintaining Wells in Rural Haiti?", published in the World Bank Economic Review here: https://loom.ly/3OYkhkc Mesi Anpil, Dionissi!

This is not a drill! Your generosity is DOUBLED starting today! During the month of November, to kick off the season of giving, a generous anonymous donor will match any donation up $50,000! That means your $100 donation turns into $200 or $500 donation turns into $1000! We already have $5,050 donated towards this match. Amazing! To count for the match you can give online at haitioutreach.org and select 'November Match' or mail in a check with 'Match' in the subject line. If you prefer a stock, fund, or Zelle transfer, please email info@haitioutreach.org. Thank you for championing Haitian-led change!! Your support for us to continue our work today in Haiti is vital. We know effective leadership and access to safe water is the key to seeing Haiti thrive. These funds will help us continue to scale our leadership and sustainable WASH work. This starts by finalizing curriculum, training the new coaches, and effectively delivering our unique programs to schools and local communities and authorities. Haiti Outreach has worked with over 600 communities to build wells or water systems that currently impact over 275,000 people daily. In 2024, we have people directly impacted 26,380 new people. #anonymousdonor #donation #match #ngo #haiti #impact #safewater #WASH #leadership #seasonofgiving

This month celebrates Creole communities' rich history, culture, and language worldwide! Let's celebrate the Creole language! Here is an MPR with our friend Djenane Saint Juste from Afoutayi. https://lnkd.in/d3M-kWYS

We have 2 new family members at Haiti Outreach! Congratulations to Jean Jackendy and My Lovely Joseph on their new little ones!

School started again in Pignon at the Middle School where a small group, led by students, teachers, and parents, is the first in Haiti to do a community-led managed school WASH program, to serve its 414 students. It was championed last year by students, one of which said she hadn’t used the bathroom in 5 years at school because of the conditions. She said many other girls would also miss school if they had their period. She has now moved on to high school but said she is so proud to leave a legacy in her middle school for other girls. It is common in Haiti that girls who do not attend school during their monthly menstruation due to lack of clean water and sanitation, end up spending 25% of their time OUT of class, which oftentimes results in them dropping out of school entirely. To keep the program sustainable, each student pays an annual fee of $3. They now have a system in place for cleaning and stocking as well as they set up a handwashing station, drinking water station, soap, toilet paper, and tampons. Kids and teens can now focus on their studies and not have to worry about using the bathroom or missing class to go home. They have now seen what community action can do. They have a vision to keep going and want to have solar flush toilets in the near future and reached out to us again for help. We remain committed to coaching the school committee to implement sustainable systems so that all students have access to clean water and proper sanitation and be an example to the rest of Haiti. Our weekly coaching continues to provide staff, parents, and students with the tools to monitor and evaluate the program. Not only do students learn how to manage and troubleshoot WASH solutions, they also play an integral part in the data collection. Our coaches show students how to collect, record, discern data, and “sign off” on their work to verify it with a letter and a photo. This not only serves a critical purpose of monitoring the program but also builds leadership skills that will carry the students into other aspects of their lives. 

Thank YOU to all of you who came out to the Minnesota Fall gala! What a wonderful gathering of people who are deeply committed to seeing Haiti thrive! Thank you to all of our sponsors, volunteers, and in-kind donors! Thank you to Dominique Pierre-Toussaint for being a great emcee, and for incredible musical performances by Leah Hinton and Kouzen! We raised over $72,000 for Haiti!

This month our team in Pignon is hard at work starting a new 12-month initiative in partnership with UNICEF. We are implementing WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) education and interventions in 16 schools, health clinics, and public markets in 5 communes: Cerca Carajaval, Maissade, Ranquitte, Mombin Crochu, and Vallieres. This will directly impact over 15,700 individuals and indirectly impact over 121,400!

By working together, we can achieve a greater impact towards universal sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services! This week, Executive Director, Ceallaigh Smart, attended the 2024 The Water Institute At UNC's Water and Health Conference in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, collaborating with global leaders to brainstorm innovative strategies for expanding access to safe water and sanitation. Here she is pictured with partners, Ryan Rowe, Executive Director of HANWASH - Haiti National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Initiative, and Marcia Urquhart Glenn, USAID Haiti Mission WASH Lead and Senior Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene Advisor.

A effective board does not happen overnight. It involves commitment to continuous improvement, effective communication, strong leadership, and strategic focus. Our work to provide leadership tools and clean water access to communities in rural Haiti simply could not happen without our devoted and hardworking board of directors. We begin our Board Member Spotlight series by highlighting Board Director Tirf Alexius! Tirf was born in Haiti, bringing his heritage into his daily work in the entertainment industry, where his professional pursuits include a passion for supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship. When we asked him what he finds unique about Haiti Outreach’s work he noted our coaching and pay for service model, keeping ownership local and “cultivating an environment where Haitian entrepreneurs can thrive.” We know that well intentioned media stories sometimes miss the mark, and that’s why we asked Tirf what is one thing he’d like others to know about Haitian culture, and here is what he said: “As a Haitian, I can attest to our deep sense of pride and our willingness to work hard and dig deep in the face of challenges. This resilience is at the core of our culture and is a driving force behind the innovative spirit you'll find throughout Haiti.” Thank you, Tirf Alexius for being an advocate for Haiti and Haiti Outreach!

Who can resist a soirée? If you will be in Atlanta on November 13th, please join us for this free event! https://lnkd.in/gBZkhFEW