For the past ten years, Haiti Lumiere de Demain has been supporting educational and environmental opportunities for people living on the Haitian island of La Gonave. Last year, their programs served over 6,000 students in 19 schools. Then last month, life changed.

6 of the 19 schools, serving approximately 2,000 students, were destroyed by the earthquake and need rebuilding. Additionally, hundreds of children have returned to La Gonave from Port-au-Prince to live with extended family, putting pressure on programs and limited resources.

As an organization invested in local capacity-building, Haiti Lumiere de Demain’s immediate goal was to use its resources to re-establish a sense of normalcy in the lives of people of La Gonave. Louis Elneus, the organization’s founder and president, believes that the structure of the academic setting allows for great opportunities to do just that. In fact, Louis says, one of the first things people asked was, “When is the donkey library coming through?”

Haiti Lumiere de Demain's Donkey Library

The donkey library (a mobile library which travels between rural villages) is just one part of a comprehensive academic program designed to provide the best educational opportunities for students both in and outside of the classroom. Other key components of Haiti Lumiere de Demain’s program include:

• textbook lending to families to mitigate the high costs of academic materials and keep kids in school
• investment in training and continuing education for teachers
• solar-powered flashlights for students to extend daylight hours for studying
• a cooperative farm on which students plant and cultivate fruit trees while learning about environmental sustainability
• a local community governing body to oversee the distribution of educational materials and resources

Louis calls this approach “killing five birds with one stone” because the program addresses the needs of the community in the areas of food security, energy, education, environment, and community and family. Haiti Lumiere de Demain is vigilant about running programs that empower the community and create opportunities for students and families, without creating dependency on aid.

We had a few questions for Louis about running an international development organization and using FirstGiving, which he was kind enough to answer for us:

FirstGiving: Your organization is very concerned with creating a culture of support and giving but not dependency. How can people give, or what can people give, so as not to create dependence on aid or ‘charity’?

Louis: The model of giving needs to change, so that donors are more educated about the giving process. Giving is not just about money, and it’s not just about the immediate need. Some of the biggest priorities are for investment in infrastructure and longer-term projects, which can be more difficult to conceptualize for donors than something like emergency food aid or medical treatment. For example, in a community with market activity based primarily on agriculture, a good way to give could be to a project that supports building a processing plant so that food can be preserved and sold throughout the year.

In cases where aid is needed urgently, it should be distributed by local committees within the community who can ensure that it is delivered well and effectively. It’s imperative to work through the local structures and not to bypass them. Another idea is to give in such a way that it allows people to leverage the resources of the entire academic community. For example, a good use of donor money could be funding a grant program at one of Haiti’s Universities. Local community leaders could apply for a grant to be trained in business or management practices that would make them more effective as leaders in their communities. It boils down to investing in and believing in people so that they are equipped to go out and make a difference themselves.

FirstGiving: What can FirstGiving do to help these projects along?

Louis: The short term and immediate needs are for rebuilding infrastructure, for the 6 schools that were damaged and for additional shelter for people who have come from Port-au-Prince. FirstGiving’s fundraising platform can help by facilitating the fundraising process for these and some of the longer-term projects I mentioned before. Haiti Lumiere de Demain has a volunteer program, and the people who have rasied the most money for the organization on FirstGiving have been the ones who have visited Haiti and seen the program first-hand. Lucy Mele is a great example. Her story is personal and pointed, and therefore powerful. FirstGiving gives her a way to tell that story and inspire people to give to these kinds of projects.

FirstGiving: If someone wants to get involved with some of these projects you mention, what should s/he do?

Louis: It’s important for both the Haitian communities and the American communities we work with to understand each other and share their experiences. One of the great things about our volunteer program is that it helps Haitian students reconsider their conceptions about American wealth and learn that the Americans they meet have worked extremely hard and invested in their education to get where they are today. Volunteers are people just like them, who have been equipped with skills and education to do what they do. We also have an internship program for university students and recent grads, so if someone is interested in working with us or raising money, s/he can contact us at hld(at)haitilumiere.org.

Thanks Louis! We wish you all the best and would love to hear updates about these projects.