Haitian diaspora engaging with long-term reconstruction emphasize the need for leadership

By Allyn Gaestel

The University of Fondwa, one of many national education centers destroyed in the earthquake. (Photo credit: Herault Beauvais, Association for the Peasants of Fondwa executive staff. With permission.)

5 February 2010 [MediaGlobal]: Following the 12 January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, organizations and institutions have focused on immediate relief for the victims and survivors of this disaster. As time passes, however, organizations are thinking ahead to the long-term rebuilding and reconstruction of the country.

One phrase repeatedly used by commentators on Haiti, including John Holmes, United Nations Undersecretary General on Humanitarian Affairs, and Paul Farmer, UN Deputy Special Envoy to Haiti is “build back better.” Those who have been involved with Haiti over the years are aware of the economic and social difficulties the country has faced, and they now hope to leverage the international attention currently focused on Haiti to make significant improvements across numerous sectors for the development of the country.

Haitians nationally and in the diaspora are also engaged with the aftermath of the earthquake. Beaudelaine Pierre and Jude Piquant, two Haitians currently residing in the United States, had formed a nongovernmental organization before the earthquake with the intention of engaging with numerous sectors of Haiti’s development, including gender, agriculture, and health. In the aftermath of the earthquake however, and keeping an eye on the difficulties of managing long-term development, Pierre and Piquant are narrowing their focus to leadership and entrepreneurial development. Their organization, the National Haitian Institute of Leadership (INHAL) aims to train leaders with specific skills to effectively develop the country in the long term.

Pierre described the goals of the organization to MediaGlobal: “It’s for durable development, long-term development for our children and for generations to come.” Pierre emphasized a responsibility for the current generation to learn from the tragedy and prepare the country to better deal with future issues. “We who have seen this earthquake, we know the tragedy, we know how difficult it was, so we need to prevent future generations from facing a similar tragedy. We have to do something.”

INHAL co-founder Piquant further elaborated to MediaGlobal on the human development necessary to carry forward long-term development. “In diagnosing the situation of education in Haiti, we see a deficit in leadership and organization for potential strategic domains that would be able to help this population out of the current misery and out of poverty.”

Many of the institutions for higher education and leadership that were already weak before the earthquake have been destroyed. The longstanding need Piquant and Pierre saw for stronger leaders in the country has been compounded by the destruction of these former institutions. Furthermore, Piquant and Pierre see an added need for local leaders capable of front-lining the reconstruction process.

To address these gaps, Pierre and Piquant have designed a leadership and entrepreneurial development program for young Haitians. Called “Program Rebati Lespwa” (Creole for “Rebuild Hope”), the program aims to engage participants as individual leaders and develop their skills to contribute positively to their communities.

The initial training program has five sections participants can choose between. Some will be formed as occupational and physical therapists. This will contribute both to the economic activity of the individual and to the long-term recovery of the many survivors injured in the earthquake. Others will be trained in small and medium enterprise management to encourage local economic investment and the rebuilding of Haiti’s economy. An agricultural program will train participants to effectively cultivate the land in a sustainable manner, contributing to the food security and environmental health of the island. Students will also be trained in construction methods to build structures able to withstand future natural disasters. And finally, some students will study traditional craft making and tourism initiatives to encourage investment from international visitors. The program also will have an international scholarship program to fund students to train abroad and bring the skills they develop back to Haiti.

While INHAL is still in its initial development, it aims to deal with the short and long-term consequences of the earthquake, and build a stronger economic and social future for Haiti. INHAL has links with the Humphrey Institute for Public Policy at the University of Minnesota, Columbia University, and Haiti’s national ministry of education. For further information and to support the project, readers can e-mail Judepiqant@yahoo.com.