I took my first steps on my grandmother’s 69^th birthday on November 13, 1993.

That date also marked the tenth day of my 19-year old stay in the United States.

I am a member and a child of the Haitian Diaspora.  I am proud to be a member of the ‘tenth department’, and I am proud of my heritage, my nationality, and the fact that my story will – and does – make up one part of the larger Haitian narrative.  In Haiti, there are nine departments (analogous to states in the United States).  Members of the Diaspora, or the large-scale emigration abroad, are referred to as the tenth department.  It is estimated that nearly one in every six Haitians lives abroad[1].

I believe that being a member of the Diaspora comes with a degree of cultural rootlessness, of liminality.  For me, my existence on the margins of two societies is a direct result of my upbringing.  My subjectivity has grown out of my experience of marginalization and unstable relation of difference in the dominant society in which I live.

Furthermore, geographic distance and an inability to travel have compelled me to reconstruct the object of my affections as an imagined place, a pastiche of other people’s memories, pictures, and offhand comments.  The Haiti I know is both real and unreal; it comes to life through my lived experience, but I have never known the physical island itself, only in what it has produced.

On January 12, 2010, I was the first person in my family to learn of the earthquake.  As I sat idly before a computer, periodically pressing the browser’s refresh button, a new headline appeared that I took to be another typical NYT human interest story.  The stories written about Haiti were always infuriating to read:  bent on providing one-dimensional tales of woe and famine for a largely removed Western audience, the articles did much to further stereotypes and perpetuate an oversimplified narrative that did not do much to further real progress.

And at first glance, the article seemed to be just that.  It was more of the same paternalistic writing on Haitian catastrophe that would provide another opportunity for pity and profit for the opportunistic, but it wasn’t personal.  My rock-solid belief in my family’s immunity from tragedies in Haiti portrayed in the media helped me stay removed from the events unfolding before my eyes.

But when my aunt called with the news that our family house in Port-au-Prince had collapsed, things quickly changed.

It has been three years since my grandmother’s body was pulled from the rubble of the house we thought would never fall.  Three years, a cholera epidemic, a few hundred thousand tents, innumerable volunteers and donors, hundreds of simultaneously indignant and mournful articles, panels, symposiums, and millions of words.

We must not let our lust for progress, nor our desire to be seen as something other than a country fit only for disaster tourism, cloud our eyes to the risks in recreating a purely tourist haven that lacks productive industries.

As members of the Diaspora, we have a duty to lend our strength and knowledge to efforts to invest in our homeland.  But we must form our vision in partnership with those who have remained in Haiti. It is not money that will make real gains, but cooperation and institution-building in place of bric-a-brac nonprofit efforts.  BrandHaiti is a valuable organization in that it provides an invaluable platform for people who can help to bring about real, sustainable change in Haiti: businesspeople and entrepreneurs, young professionals, students, academics, and Haitians at home and abroad who would like to change the dominant perception of Haiti.

However, we must remember that for our country to succeed and for the status quo to change, we cannot allow exploitation to be the price of progress.  For all those who lost their lives on January 12, let it one day be said that 2010 was the beginning of the end of our unnatural disasters.

~Ketsia Saint-Armand

On the day of the earthquake in Haiti, I had returned to high school after winter break and had just finished sending out a slew of college applications. I heard about the disaster through a friend’s text message, and learned that the devastating earthquake, as it is constantly described today, had killed thousands upon thousands of people and had wrought indescribable damage in Port-au-Prince and other affected areas. Men, women, children, fathers, mothers, siblings, friends, Haitians, Americans, UN volunteers, doctors, laborers, teachers, students, and entrepreneurs were lost in less than a minute. We do not even know the true number of deaths, with numbers changing between the Haitian government, the UN, and various development agencies. The emotional shock felt around the globe was then followed with an enormous response, with countries around the world pledging millions of dollars in aid, non-profits and NGOs donating tons of food and medical supplies, schools hosting fundraisers, and celebrities taking part in televised phone-a-thons. Haitians living abroad, including my father, sent money to the Red Cross or Partners in Health while desperately trying to get a hold of loved ones. What I remember most about this time was feeling enormous distress for the Haitian people, yet even more so I was overwhelmed with a novel desire to better understand this island nation to which half my heritage belongs.

One year passed, then two. I began studying at Columbia University where I chose to pursue a degree in Sustainable Development, a new field that satisfied my desires to learn the environmental and economic issues plaguing countries like Haiti. I took French courses when I could, fighting to maintain my sometimes-awkward French skills. I got involved with cultural clubs like the Haitian and Caribbean Students Associations. I even uploaded an app on my iPhone to help me learn basic Creole phrases. In the spring of my sophomore year I learned about BrandHaiti through my activities. I subsequently began to assist CEO/Founder Marie-Gabrielle Isidore with the BrandHaiti social media efforts and outreach, causing me to meet people at the Columbia Earth Institute and become familiar with their initiatives in Haiti. It became my overarching goal to help Haiti, even though it is a country I have never seen, filled with a people with whom I cannot truly communicate in a beautiful culture with which I am vaguely familiar.

Yet my lofty dreams became jaded in this two-year period due to my coursework and disappointing news from the Haitian development world. There were the many complaints asking why there was still so much post-earthquake damage and so many people still living in tents when international donations had totaled more than a billion U.S. dollars. A cholera outbreak—likely accidentally brought in by those trying to “help”—further undermined the slow improvements. Wyclef Jean was found to have misused donated funds meant for charity work through his Yéle Haiti organization. Through my own coursework, I became more aware about how the vast occupation of non-profits and NGOs in Haiti proved to be both helpful and restricting to Haitian development. While they provide many services that are definitely needed on the ground in hard-hit areas, they often do not collaborate with Haitian organizations nor other non-profits based in Haiti in their reconstruction plans and end up missing their targets and wasting money. Occasional news articles or media stories on Haiti often focused on foreign non-profit projects, Haitian governmental corruption, or summarized the damage and lack of progress in the Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere. Minimal coverage highlighted the recent improvements and positive sides of Haitian culture and people. Fellow Sustainable Development majors told me of their internships with the UN and other organizations and how they quickly realized methods of development learned at school could not be as easily implemented in real life.

As a mere 20-year-old junior in college, I learned that there is no perfect solution to any country’s distinct obstacles, just questions that could push development organizations to attain the best possible results more efficiently. How can we make sure the money we donate is not misused and squandered on useless projects and unnecessary expenses? How can we be sure that every development project consists of sustainable, responsible methods that push Haiti to be self-dependent? How can we create real change when major organizations are slowed by their own bureaucracy and red tape? It is an unfortunate reality that non-profits have turned Haiti and other poor nations into testing grounds for various development strategies. Only now, three years later, are they realizing that they need to seriously rethink their operations in Haiti and begin to “listen”, as one Christian Science Monitor article put it, to Haiti and its unique needs.

Of course there are many organizations and businesses that are doing valuable and needed work in Haiti. Working with BrandHaiti has shown that hope is not lost in this beautiful country. In fact there is good news every day, which I post on BrandHaiti’s Facebook. New hotels are being constructed, gold has been discovered, an industrial park recently opened, fashion shows are being held, and innovative technology is being implemented. I feel BrandHaiti and other organizations like us are doing the right thing by refusing to allow Haiti’s disadvantages to weigh down its advantages, specifically in its tourism industry. The more people hear good reviews of Haiti, the more they will realize that Haiti has so much to offer the world and has offered so much already. Just think about W.E.B Du Bois, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (founder of Chicago), Edwidge Danticat (literary author), Jean-Michel Basquiat (artist), Alexandre Dumas (author of The Three Musketeers), and so many others. As global citizens we must work to help preserve and rebuild this small nation that is symbolically priceless despite its poverty.

I do not think I know enough to say what is the right way to improve Haiti, and I do not think other more experienced individuals know either. I do think, however, that asking questions like those I posed above will help guide us into stumbling upon novel methods of development that will maximize beneficial results as much as possible in the future. In this constantly changing world, collaboration, honesty, and flexibility are required from all parties involved in order to bring about significant results. I hope that people in America and around the world will not forget Haiti even though it is not always in the news as it was in 2010. Haitians and those with Haitian backgrounds abroad should be proud of their heritage and try to see if they can become a part of the Haiti reconstruction efforts if they haven’t already. Helping BrandHaiti by sharing our posts on Facebook and Twitter and showing your friends a positive side of Haiti is a major project that will work only if everyone gets involved. For myself, I look forward to working more with BrandHaiti in helping to create and implement programs that will promote sustainable and responsible development in the country that I love! 

~Natalie Paret

My thoughts as we get close to the 3^rd year Anniversary of the Devastating Earthquake of January 12^th, 2010:

My name is Genevieve d’Adesky Lemke—though everyone knows me simply as “Genie”—and I am the Director of Wahoo Bay Beach Hotel, located on the “Côte des Arcadins” in Haiti.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the earthquake is the gripping fear that constricted my stomach. My husband and I had just traveled with relatives to the United States the day before, and we were receiving alarming messages of the tragic earthquake as events were unfolding. Our instant reaction was utter disbelief. We were unable to fathom such a disaster striking our beautiful home. Yet, tragically, it was true. Just remembering that stunned moment still gets my heartbeat racing, my stomach and heart tight, and renders me frantic. We were anxious to know if our loved ones were safe: son, mom, sister and brothers, family, friends, colleagues, employees, staff…our only thought was “Dear God, please let everyone be ok!”

We finally got through to my brother, Jeff, who was safe at his home that had withstood the earthquake. He was on Skype communicating, as just a few minutes after the earthquake most phone and cell lines went down. One by one, we started to locate everyone, and relief slowly flooded in. However, I was still filled with major anguish, as there was one person for whom we had no news: our son, Michael. The last we had heard, he was at work in his office in downtown Port-au-Prince, the epicenter of the quake.

Minutes seemed like hours, and it is unfathomable what can run through the minds of the distressed. At that moment, we could have cared less about our business and our home. “We can start over, we can rebuild,” I thought, “ but I cannot replace my son. Please, God, please let him be ok!” I remember vividly the gripping fear, the tears, the words of prayer that came out of my mouth until my husband opened the door of our room to tell me the news.

“Gen,” he said, “we have news of Mike. He is fine!” My husband reported that Mike was still at the office ensuring everyone was safe and had a way to get safely home to their loved ones. The school opposite from his office had collapsed, and he could hear the screaming cries for help, so he made phone calls for doctors, ambulances, police, whomever he could find to assist the victims. It was only then, that he remembered “Oh my God, Mom must be freaking out if she doesn’t hear from me!” So he sent a young assistant by foot to my brother to get the message to us that he was safe.

While I was—and am—eternally grateful that my prayers were answered that day, I could not—and cannot—help but to think of so many others who were grieving their losses that day. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins, husbands, and wives—over 300,000 people perished on that horrific day. How do we cope with such a tragedy? What have we learned? How are we moving forward? What do we see for the future of Haiti?

I don’t know that one person or one family can change the whole of Haiti, but as a survivor of that day, I know that we can certainly contribute to making a positive difference. Our hotel was not damaged and it became a haven for so many, including volunteer medical and missionary groups from abroad rushing to help. The fact that our countryside beach hotel is located away from the dusty rubble and massive destruction of the capital city, along the lovely coast an hour north of Port-au-Prince highlighted Mother Nature’s natural glorious splendor, as if telling us “Life will go on, do not give up!” In the aftermath of the earthquake, known as “Goudou-Goudou” for its terrifying growling-rumbling sound, we felt that we must become a soothing, quiet resting spot where people came to take a brief breather, get re-energized, re-focused, and re-organized to promptly return assisting with the victims and uprooted survivors.

A few months later, our daughter, Jennifer, came back with a degree in Hospitality Management and 4-years of working experience in South Beach, Florida to join us as a Manager. We agreed that the moment had come to now move forward with what had long been financially hesitating plans. Despite Haiti’s straining economic and political challenges, we decided to work towards attaining higher international standards. We immediately began to renovate the 22-rooms in our 20-year old main building, and implemented a new “boutique” design. We were quite pleased to see how our clients were delighted and appreciative of WAHOO BAY’s “rejuvenating” renovation efforts, and hope to continue them into the future.

During this same time, the six neighboring hotels along the coastline of the beautiful Côte des Arcadins teamed up to form a regional development council known as CRCA (“Conseil Regional de la Côte des Arcadins”), affiliated to Haiti’s Tourism Association, known as ATH (Association Touristique d’Haiti). We meet regularly on jointly solving regional and community-related challenges and issues, keeping competition friendly and always striving to help each other.

This past year, the CRCA council has signed a contract with the USAID-financed WINNER Project that regroups the area’s farmers as a cooperative, from whom CRCA members have agreed to source locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, to great success. Furthermore, a new Hotel, Restaurant, and Ecotourism Training School will be inaugurated on January 16^th, 2013, providing current staff and aspiring hotel and hospitality workers to receive professional training.

Additionally, there is also a longstanding relationship with the fishermen of our area’s famous fishing village of Lully, who supply all of the hotel-restaurants with locally caught fresh seafood. The CRCA hotels also have an agreement with local vendors to sell their handcrafted jewelry, sculptures, straw hats, paintings, fresh coconuts, etc. on their premises, which provides them the opportunity to earn revenue in support of family and community. The CRCA’s “win-win” implication of all stakeholders is contributing to the region’s harmonious tourism and community development, and helping to rebuild a country ravaged by a natural disaster.

We are also delighted to have teamed up with BrandHaiti in October of 2011. This enthusiastic young organization’s mission is to contribute to improving Haiti’s image, and we absolutely want to be a part of this positive movement. Haiti’s positives far outweigh its negatives, and we are determined to convey and share this truism to the world. With BrandHaiti’s founder Marie-Gabby Isidore, we have developed a spring break program that brings university students to Haiti to discover all aspects of our “Haiti Chérie”. While they remain at Wahoo Bay, we will have guest speakers to address interesting topics about Haiti and the development of Haitian businesses. When these students return home, they will become ambassadors of Haiti, and share their unique experience with the world. We are very enthusiastic and optimistic about this project, and are planning to have our first group of “Spring Breakers” in March 2013!

Our Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Stéphanie B. Villedrouin, is actually in Canada signing a contract with the well-known Canadian Charter Group, Air Transat. Canadian tourists are scheduled to arrive on January 23^rd, 2013 for their 5 to 7 days sojourn, which will include excursions around Port-au-Prince and the Côte des Arcadins. Like the students who will arrive in March, we hope to show these tourists that Haiti is not just an impoverished, disaster stricken country, but that it is a nation full of beauty, wonder, entrepreneurship, hope, and love.

Three years later, although we are still mourning, we are ever more resilient and motivated to persevere in our efforts to contribute to Haiti’s development and positive image. We hope that you will join us.

~Genevieve d’Adesky Lemke

All women know jewelry—the final touch of an outfit—has to be carefully selected. Just like a cake topper, a piece of jewelry shows your personality. Daphnée Karen Floréal is the founder of her own line of jewelry, Bijou Lakay. The uniqueness of her pieces draws inspiration from geometrical forms and famous personalities. To encourage decentralization, each piece is made from bullhorn sourced from different farms from around the country.

Daphnée is a spontaneous individual and lover of beautiful things. Her goal is to create better jewelry everyday, never letting the customers leave her mind. Her passion for jewelry goes beyond her full time job and leads her to always focus on style, comfort and quality. Professional women find Bijou Lakay jewelry to be versatile; worn at work or adorned for a night out, you will stand out beautifully.

“When things go wrong, I create a piece, and when things are great, I create even more,” says the designer who started to make her first pieces while still at university. Even though designing is like oxygen to Daphnée, she creates time to have her hair done, go to the gym, read a book and go on dates with her boyfriend, even though her day doesn’t end before midnight. Read on, as the native Haitian tells us a little bit more about her line.

Why the brand name “Bijou Lakay”?

It was my mother’s suggestion. I was looking for a Creole brand name. I sell jewelry that is called “bijou in Haiti.” The word “Lakay” means in our mother language, from Haiti, from our earth.

We all know how hard it is for a young designer to emerge. What would be your advice to a young designer like you?

Never give up, always remind yourself of your real goal in life. Consider that every step in life should be an experience for you.

Bijou Lakay participated in many fairs, in Haiti as well as outside of Haiti. Tell us about the experience and the foreigner’s response to your designs.

Always good and enriching. The experience is positive and the foreigners love my design. Naturally, I select some pieces depending on the public.

Do you have a favorite piece in your collection? And why?

For my 2012 collection, my favorite piece is the circles necklace. The combination of different circles of different sizes proves that people can always innovate just by ordering small pieces in different ways.

 

As I scrolled through my Facebook newsfeed for about the 50^th time on May 5, 2012, I noticed that Haiti’s Minister of Tourism, Ms. Stephanie Villedrouin, had announced the logo winner for the branding contest. My heart was full of happiness when I saw the logo that they selected.

Le Ministère du Tourisme d’Haïti choisit son nouveau logo et son nouveau slogan pour une campagne de communication visant à relancer le tourisme de loisir en Haïti.

[The Ministry of Tourism of Haiti chooses its new logo and new slogan for its communications campaign aimed at boosting tourism in Haiti.]

The choublak, a red hibiscus! What a beautiful logo design by Xavier Delatour, I thought. I was incredibly happy about this decision. I was filled with joy, even though my logo didn’t win, because it represented tremendous progress, from the professionalism of the contest to the final decision.

As I scrolled through the post (in French), I scanned…

Le slogan qui a été retenu est “Experience it !” de Diana Pierre-Louis.  Ce slogan résume parfaitement  l’expérience  forte et intense souvent vécue par les visiteurs qui découvrent Haïti pour la première fois. C’est une belle invitation à découvrir par soi-même la multitude des richesses du pays et les sensations intenses qu’elles procurent. C’est  une version raccourcie de la proposition originale de Diana qui était – “Experience it yourself!”.  Diana  est passionnée par Haïti, son art, sa culture, ses plages.  Elle aime partager son expérience d’Haïti avec les autres et cette image positive qu’elle véhicule incite d’autres personnes à en faire l’expérience.  Lors des campagnes de communication s’adressant aux communautés francophones, créolophones, et hispanophones, ce slogan sera traduit en francais par “L’expérience!”, en créole par “Se la pou’w la”, et en espagnol par “La experiencia”

[The slogan that was chosen is “Experience It!”, by Diana Pierre-Louis. This slogan sums up the powerful and intense experience felt by visitors who discover Haiti for the first time. It is a beautiful invitation to discover for oneself the myriad riches of the country and the intense sensations they provide. This is a shortened version of the Diana’s original proposal of “Experience it yourself”. Diana is passionate about Haiti, its art, its culture, and its beaches. She enjoys sharing her experience in Haiti with others, and the positive image it conveys incites others to experience it. For communication campaigns aimed at Francophone communities, Creole, and Hispanics, that slogan will be translated into French as “L’expérience!”,  in Creole “Se la pou'w la”, and in Spanish by “La experiencia”

“Experience it?!?” I screamed in excitement—that was my slogan! At first, I couldn’t believe it. Is it really true?, I thought, reading the announcement over and over. I even went to Google Translator to make sure I was reading it correctly, but there it was—it was my name spelled out, my slogan right in front of my eyes.

I immediately called my husband, followed by my mother, my two biggest fans. They both were overjoyed as I kept repeating, “Can you believe it?!” That moment was very humbling for me; I had never before won a contest of this magnitude, nor had I ever even entered a contest about which I was so passionate.

Soon, I was contacted by the Ministers office and got a heartfelt congratulation from Mr. Martin, who works for the Minister. He informed me that there would be a very special ceremony with the Ministers office, ambassadors to and from Haiti, and President Michel Martelly on June 1, and asked if I could be there. Of course, I said yes, while trying to contain my excitement and remain professional.

June 1 arrived quite quickly. My husband, his mother, my brother-in-law, his friend, and I all landed in Port-au-Prince on May 30. That night, we picked up the invitation cards to the ceremony and I was told that I’d have to make a 2-3 minute speech in front of the audience at the ceremony. Again, while attempting to contain my excitement, I confirmed my presence and my willingness to speak, while beaming from ear to ear.

As we arrived at Karibe Hotel on the evening of the reception, I nervously walked into a beautifully decorated area with the logo and slogan everywhere. There were large, beautiful choublak decorations attached to the trees outside; popup banners with different pictures of Haiti that said “Experience wilderness”, “Experience the South”, “Experience the North”, and more; beautiful choublak pins which we were handed to  wear; bags and shirts with the logos on it; and even women with the logo and slong on their dresses. It was truly a beautifu sight, and I encourage you to browse through some of the photos on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheRealHaiti

At the reception, we were welcomed by Ms. Joliceur, the Minister of Tourism’s cabinet member, who had been helpful and friendly to me since the first day I spoke with her before the event. She showed us to our seats and informed me of what to expect in the ceremony. I nervously waited as the ceremony guests arrived, preparing myself for the start of the event. Once it had begun, I repeated to myself, “If you speak from the heart, the words will come naturally…”, which is something my husband always reminds me. I was ready to make my speech and tell Haiti why I chose “Experience it!” as the slogan. A full video of the speech has been posted on my blog: www.TheRealHaiti.com

Xavier and I were each given plaques by President Martelly, and he, his wife, the Minister, and Ms. Joliceur congratulated us each personally. The ceremony ended with a rara band (a high energy, festival band that uses metal instruments and is usually performed in the streets ) as we all danced and celebrated Haiti’s new logo and slogan. Xavier and I were also given hand beaded flags by the president, a treasure I will keep forever! What an incredible experience…

As a writer by profession, there still aren’t enough words for me to describe the entirety of the experience I had with this contest and the trip. The contest was professionally launched online and very easy advertise; it was easy to read and user friendly; the phone call inviting me to the ceremony was genuine, warm, and honest; the hospitality I received once I got to Haiti and at the convention center was unforgettable; the ceremony and the opportunity to be on stage with the Minister and the President of Haiti is impossible for me to describe; the celebration of Haiti and the new logo and slogan was a blast; and the outpouring of support from my blog followers, family, and friends has been amazing.

Thank you to everyone for the support, and thank you to the Minister of Tourism and President Martelly for this opportunity. Haiti is on its way to being a desired tourist destination by many, and once people experience Haiti, the people, food, culture and music, there will be no turning back.

Thanks again!

 

By Diana Pierre-Louis, founder and author of www.TheRealHaiti.com

Click to view slideshow.

From May 5-6, the second edition of Women in Production—an international trade fair featuring Haiti’s top women entrepreneurs and artisans—was held in Miami Beach, FL. The fair took place at the Miami Beach Convention Center to launch Haitian Heritage Month.

Beautifully gowned in a printed dress and royal blue jacket, First Lady Sophia Martelly of the Republic of Haiti encouraged the audience during her public address to invest in mothers and women entrepreneurs of Haiti. Sitting next to Pierre Saliba (President of the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida), Matti Herera Bower (Mayor of Miami Beach), and Katherine Fernandez Rundle (State Attorney), Her Excellency Mme. Martelly cut the ribbon to kick off this year’s Women In Production. The Haitian national anthem followed shortly thereafter. Fashion designer Elmire Desrouleaux played Catherine Flon sewing the Haitian flag as the anthem was performed.

Sixty exhibitors took part in the event to celebrate Haitian creativity and cultural expression. A wide variety of products were showcased, from alcoholic beverages to hot sauces, clothing, handbags, jewelry, and paintings, to name just a few.

Serge Gay Pottery was the booth to visit for home décor. Masks, sculptures, pots, frames will give your house a refined look while keeping a Haitian authenticity.

Madichon Sauce, awarded Best Booth Display, carries its name very well. Their hot sauce is amazingly good. Se koupe dwèt!

Bijou Lakay was offering bullhorn jewelry. Her designs reflected Haitian culture and she played with different textures, even loofah! Daphnée Karen Floréal was very innovative this year with her unique pieces.

Maelle Creations presented Opulence, which is a line made to flatter every woman’s curve. The Haitian style embroidery on the vests and jackets, the oversize pocket or simply the contrasting ribbon made the designs look sophisticated.

Collections Xaragua was very popular for its crossbody bags and clutches. The woven straw (commonly called latanier in Haiti) added the Haitian authenticity to a trendy purse that will make you stand out.

It was very pleasant to see Miss Haiti Caribbean Beauty 2012, Cassy Edmond, visiting each booth and taking the time to introduce herself and chat a bit with every exhibitor. International model and youth ambassador, Nayeli Fanfan, who has done a lot for the Haitian community, was also among the visitors. Her support was proven by each additional shopping bag she would carry as she walked around.

Many exhibitors shared the opinion of targeting a more diverse clientele. “The customers were mainly Haitians. Women In Production should also aim for buyers from boutiques and art galleries,” says Daphnée from Bijou Lakay. Although the customer traffic was significantly less than last year, Women In Production successfully provided a platform for Haitian women entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their products.

-Nora David, BrandHaiti

Meet Saheed Badmus, an agricultural economics whiz and semi-finalist in this year’s Dell Social Innovation Challenge for his startup business Mache.A. Born and raised in Washington D.C. and Maryland to a Nigerian father and a Haitian mother who spoke Creole around the house, Saheed visited Haiti often as a child while growing up. One trip in particular had a lasting impact, one that would transform his life as a member of the Haitian Diaspora in unforeseen and profound ways.

Saheed traveled to his mother’s childhood city, Jacmel, for the funeral of his great-grandmother, who passed away after a long and healthy life at the age of 108. Saheed commented on the voyage:

“I was deeply impressed by the imposing beauty of the countryside, the mountains, and the fields, far away from the urban center of Port-au-Prince. I felt like the inherent beauty next to abject poverty in Haiti was never really discussed; people only talk about the poverty.”

At the University of Maryland College Park, Saheed decided to major in agricultural economics to further his studies on countries like Haiti. He explained:

“Agriculture is common ground in nations like Haiti, where 40% of the labor force is employed within the agricultural sector. If you can have an impact on agriculture, you can alleviate a large portion of poverty and unemployment.”

Upon graduating with a degree from UM College Park in December 2011, Saheed interned during the summer at Caribbean Harvest in Croix-des-Bouquets, a charitable foundation that creates jobs in the local fishing industry by using modern aquacultural technology. Since completing his internship, Saheed has been working on his own business solutions in the Haitian agricultural sector. His idea was accepted recently as a semi-finalist in this year’s Dell Social Innovation Challenge.

Mache.A is an agricultural communications platform based on market information systems, which, in real time, disseminates pertinent agricultural information among farmers, from current prices of crops in local markets to weather advisories. Such information assists farmers in making optimal and profitable decisions based on easily accessible market information delivered in Creole.

Using cell phone technology—with which nearly every Haitian is equipped these days thanks to the work of Digicel—farmers can efficiently communicate with one another to determine what to do with surplus crops, whether or not they should transport their crops to sell in another market where prices are higher, and at what prices to sell their crops to either buyers or retailers.

“Haiti is lacking social capital between sellers and buyers,” Saheed says. “Mache.A will act as an innovative intermediary to bridge the gap in order to increase both consumption and export demand for local Haitian crops, in turn creating more jobs for Haitian farmers.”

This service will provide three different access points to guarantee democratic usage: SMS text messaging in Creole for farmers to communicate, voice recording for farmers who may be illiterate, and an online website platform.

In addition to this market tool, Saheed added two other innovations to his business model. First, he implemented a crop advisory service that provides technical feedback throughout the entire growth cycle of the crop. For example, farmers can send an SMS text message describing a pest problem and an agronomist will respond with a diagnosis and solution. He also created a mobile market that connects farmers who are not able to travel around Haiti to food aid and agricultural NGOs, food processors, and even the Martelly government’s school lunch program. The market will bring demand directly to the farmers through an innovative, hassle-free communications technology.

Such an intervention could potentially turn the tables on the humanitarian food aid community that imports the majority of their crops, even though Haitian farmers are equipped to provide most, if not all, of the needed supplies. Saheed remarks:

“Prices for Haitian products are higher than international products due to the lack of infrastructure and transportation in the agricultural sector. Communications solutions like Mache.A seek to break down these trade barriers by changing the local market rules and increasing demand for Haitian products.”

Connecting farmers with each other will assist them in making fully informed long-term business decisions based on the most up-to-date market information currently unavailable to the majority of farmers in Haiti. For example, Mache.A will focus on storage infrastructure to encourage farmers to not sell all of their crops at once, which saturates the market, but to spread out their sales to maximize profits over time.

“Of course, we are a business, and we will be making a profit,” Saheed stated. “But we are definitely not looking to make millions. In Haiti, it’s all about making money while also making social change.” Once launched, Mache.A will give farmers a free trial such that they themselves can see the tangible benefits of such a service. After the free trial, these services will cost $1 per month, or $12 per year, while potentially allowing farmers to earn exponentially more than that. “Like all social enterprises, Mache.A will not simply be making a profit to make a profit. We will reinvest in education in the agricultural sector, and we will provide training seminars to help our clients better utilize our services, which in turn, earns them more money.”

If you believe this innovative social enterprise will have a positive impact on Haiti, then you can help ensure that Mache.A has a future! The Dell Challenge includes two components: A grand prize competition that ends on April 22, and a voting competition that ends on May 13. Winners of either competition will be provided with startup capital to launch their social enterprises. We would love to see Saheed—an innovative member of the Haitian Diaspora who is moving back to Haiti with creative solutions for job creation and change—win that prize.

To vote, please register (this takes 30 seconds) by clicking the “Register” button in the upper right hand corner at http://www.dellchallenge.org/. Upon completion, follow the Mache.A link here (http://www.dellchallenge.org/projects/machea), and click on the “VOTE FOR” button underneath the business’s profile picture. Every vote counts! And of course, please share the page with your social media networks on Facebook, Twitter, and on your blogs.

Be sure to check back later this month to see if Saheed wins this year’s Dell Social Innovation Challenge! Thank you everyone for your support, and thank you Saheed for taking the time to share with BrandHaiti your vision for a better Haiti.

-Nick Stratton, President of BrandHaiti

A fundamental component of our branding campaign includes highlighting success stories of Haitians and members of the diaspora who are actively changing their country through innovative initiatives and development. None of which is present in the “poverty porn” that mainstream media has found contagious Haiti. Given the critical role that music plays in Haitian culture due to its ability to tell stories and share the inexpressible, creating a stronger sense of unity, we are seeking interviews with Haitian and francophone musicians to help us change the international perception of Haiti. Recently, the talented Mélissa Laveaux, welcomed the opportunity for a BrandHaiti interview to promote her work. As a highly-acclaimed international artist and a  member of the Haitian diaspora, we eagerly sought to gain her insight on advancing Haiti while we also promoted her work.  Mélissa exemplifies the very capacities and contributions of Haitians abroad that BrandHaiti features.

A few years ago while on vacation in Montreal, I discovered Mélissa Laveaux, a vocal goddess. My cousin was playing a song called “Dodo Titit”  in her room, which brought back sweet memories of my mother singing this old Haitian lullaby to me when I was young. Her sultry and raspy voice triggered something in me and left me wanting more. I instantly purchased her album, Camphor & Copper, on iTunes and have been listening to it on repeat ever since. The elegance and beauty of singing so eloquently in English, French, and Creole—the languages of my heart and tongue—brought me much joy. Her music not only satisfies my palate for rich, jazzy, folk-like acoustic tunes, but also evoked feelings of pride, as she was one of the most visible Haitian musicians, I knew of next to Wyclef Jean.

Mélissa Laveaux is a brilliant and soulful vocalist, songwriter, guitarist, and poet based in Paris under the French label No Format. A mix of blues and folk, her lyrical genius shines in her songs, birthed from lived experiences. “Writing what I knew was the best advice I got from my sister,” Mélissa remarks. Abiding by this rule has helped pave her success. While her musical career began in Canada, she now lives and performs in Europe, occasionally touring in Asia. Unfortunately, she has yet to perform in the United States due to a lack of interest from US labels and distributors. As such, we hope this interview will help expose her music to a wider audience; we at BrandHaiti are certain her voice will captivate you.

Mélissa was born in Montreal but raised in Ottawa, Canada to a Haitian couple that immigrated in search of new opportunities for their expanding family. She visited Haiti once as a child, but nevertheless she sings and composes in Creole. Mélissa inherited her love for music from her father, a guitarist himself. When she was six, she wanted to take piano lessons in order to fit in better with other girls in her class. However, things did not work out as planned: “I lost the payment for my first class, and my mother was so upset that I never got to touch an instrument until I turned thirteen, when my father bought me a used classical guitar with very high action; in other words, it was very difficult to play.”

That experience humbled her. She has spent the last fourteen years playing the guitar, and the last nine years singing. As a student at the University of Ottawa, she performed local gigs on her campus. Since then, she has performed three times at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Cully Jazz Festival, the Donostia Jazzaldia Jazz Festival, the Festival du Bout du Monde (2008), Les Francofolies de La Rochelle (2009), the Sakifo Musik Festival in La Réunion Island, and le Printemps de Bourges.

The year 2007 was a remarkable year for this young artist. She graduated with honors from the University of Ottawa, and she also won the Lagardère Jeune Talent Award for Music. Additionally, she received a songwriting prize for her composition in Creole, “Koudlo.” After a performance in Quebec, she was immediately offered a contract with No Format. She has since relocated to Paris, and under a new label and management team, she officially released her first album Camphor & Copper in 2008, which was a compilation of songs she wrote while living in Canada.

Today, she has grown accustomed to her new life in Paris. In conversation with her, one cannot miss her confidence, poise, and caring demeanor.  She is humbled by the opportunity to live her dream as a musician, and explained that she has fallen in love with Paris’s artistic culture and network of musicians that has challenged her to grow.

“Making music in Canada wasn’t for me, so I moved to France. Canada requires artists to have a day job…” while she wanted to focus solely on her music. She did not want to be stuck singing only French songs or be forced into pop music; moving to Paris has allowed her to stay true to her musical soul. She is currently in the process of completing her second album, which will be released in October in Europe. She says her new album will not be as folky as her previous work, acknowledging the potential risk of losing some fans. However, she remains pleased with the direction of both work and her life in Paris, as they reflect more accurately her growth and freedom. Melissa has remained true to the musical tunings of her heart throughout her versatile journey as an artist. I admire Melissa for her bravery to be different, her zest for life, and her refusal to be boxed in by an industry that ignores the skills and musical callings of artists such as Melissa in order to perpetuate a particular narrative or simply to make more money. Melissa provides a face and voice to provide hope for young Haitian girls, a hope that counters the negative narratives about Haitians in the media.

Below is the transcription of my interview with Mélissa Laveaux, and we hope you find it as informative and inspirational as we did. Enjoy!

MG:  What artists have you worked with, and why?

ML:  I’ve opened for a lot of musicians—Feist, Rokia Traore, Amadou and Mariam— because of our professional links and because they are inspirations to me. Right now, I’m working on a collaboration concert with Thea Hjelmeland, a Norwegian artist, where we are fusing our bands, our songs, and our sounds together. We’ll play it in Paris.

MG:    You’ve written some songs about Haiti. Why, given your strong Anglophone supporters? Have you worked with Haitian artists?

ML:    I write songs for myself before thinking of an audience to whom to target that song. I’ve never worked with any Haitian artists, but not because I haven’t tried. Several attempts have failed. But someone I’m dreaming of working with is Mimi Barthélémy because she’s a storyteller and she lives right here in Paris. I think there’s so much I could learn from her, her experiences, her storytelling, her repertoire of traditional songs…

MG:    Can you share with us, your reasoning for the songs you wrote about Haiti?

ML:    It was just a song written to my mother who never really tried to impress “Haitianess” into us as we were growing up as she hoped we would better assimilate by only speaking French or English. Only later did she regret our Creole wasn’t strong enough, for instance.

MG:   What’s the perception of Haiti in Canada?

ML:    Canadians are actually quite familiar with Haitians—well at least people in Ontario and mostly Quebec because the latter is one of the target destination cities for the Haitian diaspora. I am one of the many fruits of that diaspora as Montreal is my birthtown. There’s such a diasporic culture in central-eastern Canada that Canadians know a lot more about Haiti than we give them credit for. They even know common words, some slang a few insults here and there. Furthermore, most of the Haitians in popular culture rising out of Quebec make a pretty big name for themselves—writers, screenwriters, television producers, musicians, and singer-songwriters. There’s a flock of famous Canadian Haitians.

MG:  Do you think the perception of Haiti in Canada needs to change? If so why or why not?

ML:  I actually think Canada doesn’t need a different perception of Haiti; however, perhaps its leaders who send troops to the country that have a real impact on the local population do. While I’m sure that Canadian policies mean well, it can only be a win-win situation if Canadian troops have a better understanding and respect for the citizens whom they aim to support.

MG:    What are some differences and similarities between Canadian and Haitian music?

ML:  These days, I think there’s definitely a sense of a shared global culture growing. I think every country has their own traditional music. In Canada’s case, it’s difficult as it’s a country that’s been occupied and colonized and migrated to many times over. Add the internet to general history and you can pretty much hear listen to the same bands in Haiti as you can in Canada. You’ll have people listening to Celine Dion or Rihanna, just like you’ll have people listening to underground metal bands.

MG:  What has been your impression of Haiti as a member of the diaspora?

ML:  As a member of the diaspora I am more heartbroken by the lack of diversity in the images shown of Haiti in the media than the crises that are disrupting the daily lives of thousands and perhaps even millions of Haitians. How can the world properly direct its support to an emerging country when it doesn’t really get access to the full picture? I think there are so many positive aspects of Haiti to feature.

MG:  Why do you think Haiti needs to be re-branded?

ML:  I’m not sure Haiti needs us to re-brand it so much as it needs us to show its true branding. We, as a diaspora, know how great of a country it is and most of us share a positive outlook on its future. Most of us are proud to claim we’re Haitian and all the knowledge and traditions our families have passed on. This project is important because it needs us to reflect the positive image of Haiti our families and friends—on the island and off—have impressed upon us over time and to this day. Each one of us is a witness bearing truth. I think I hear far too much pity in the voices of my peers when they speak about Haiti. But I’m not afraid to call them on it.

MG:  I am a huge believer in the empowerment of people. What are your thoughts on how best BrandHaiti can empower the people of Haiti?

ML:   We can bear witness to what’s going on. We can extend the reach of the voices of Haitians on mainland as well as in diaspora. We can be attentive to the need to be heard and talked about with dignity instead of pity.

MG:  What would you like the youth of America to know about the people of Haiti from your observation?

ML:  Teenagers are the same everywhere. I’m sure they’d be surprised at how much they could relate to and learn from a Haitian penpal.

MG:  Before we conclude our interview, what song would you like to share with students from the US? And how can they support your work?

ML: I’d like to share with them “Needle In The Ha”  and I guess if they have social network accounts, they can share videos of my work. I have a hefty team of folks who on my promotion, but it’s always pleasant to see a new face or two in the crowd at my concerts.

MG: Thank you kindly Mélissa for taking the time to speak with BrandHaiti. We really appreciate your support and are continually inspired by you and your work. To our viewers, I hope you have enjoyed our interview with Mélissa Laveaux and that you will support her work by buying her album or by following her on Twitter (@miellaveaux) and facebook for tour schedule and release of her new cd. Today, our hearts go out to her talented voice.

To learn more about Mélissa Laveaux, please visit her website at http://www.melissalaveaux.com/

~Marie-Gabby Isidore, CEO and Co-Founder of BrandHaiti

Take part in this unique opportunity to change the image of Haiti by submitting your logo and/or slogan to the Ministry of Tourism‘s international competition! The slogans and logos chosen will become the official logo of the Ministry in Haiti.

Until midnight March 31st, imagine, create, compose, and draw the Haiti of your dreams! Describe Haiti in a few words in French, in Créole, in English, or in all three languages.

This contest is part of the Ministry’s national branding campaign, and is being disseminated throughout the Caribbean, Canada, France, and the United States. All Haitian diaspora and lovers of Haiti are welcome to participate! (Minimum age: 18)

The winners will receive round trip plane tickets to Haiti, 3 nights and 4 days and a meeting with Stéphanie Villedrouin, the Minister of Tourism of Haiti.

Please submit all proposals to:

concours2012@haititourisme.gouv.ht

To submit by email, please follow the below instructions:

Your submission must be three pages max (Word, PDF doc) + 1 attachment for the logo (JPEG format)

Subject line: Concours Ministere Tourisme 2012

1st page:
- Last Name
- First Name
- Email
- Phone numbers
- Gender
- Date of Birth
- Address, City and Country of Residence

2nd page:
-Logo + 10 lines explaining your creation

3rd page:
-Slogan(s) + 10 lines explaining your choice

Changeons l’image d’Haïti! An nou chanje imaj Ayiti! Let’s change Haiti’s image!

When we first encountered Lèt Agogo (“Milk in Abundance” in Haitian Creole) at the supermarket around the corner, I assumed it was simply a delicious Haitian product. To this day, a quart of Lèt Agogo strawberry yogurt can always be found in our refrigerator at home. Nutritious, not too sweet, balanced, made completely from local ingredients, and full of vitamins, Lèt Agogo yogurt makes for the perfect breakfast on a sunny morning in Ayiti Cheri.

Little did we know Lèt Agogo is much more than a quality product made in Haiti. Lèt Agogo provides essential nutrition for tens of thousands of school children everyday across the country. Lèt Agogo has shown that it is possible to scale up local production adapted to infrastructural realities in Haiti, using very little electricity and integrating traditional Haitian agricultural practices. Lèt Agogo offers a new model for national food sovereignty. When you buy Lèt Agogo, you are not only choosing a quality product that tastes good, but you are also choosing to support an alternative, sustainable model of agricultural development in Haiti.

After the 2011 Investment Conference in Haiti, Dr. Michel Chancy, the brains behind the Lèt Agogo operation, invited the BrandHaiti team to tour one of the dozens of laiteries (milk production centers) around the country. A veterinarian by training, Dr. Chancy and other young Haitian professionals conceptualized the project while working at the Haitian NGO Veterimed, which supports sustainable rural agriculture development projects. Created in 1991, Veterimed empowers the 700,000 families of small farmers who are responsible for over 90% of livestock production in Haiti by increasing their income and improving their technical capacities in the domains of animal health and production by providing training, research, and direct assistance.

Maintaining livestock and earning a profit is extremely difficult for an individual farmer, especially since the international community slashed tariffs for foreign dairy products and decimated local production. Indeed, Haiti belongs to a small minority (7%) of countries in the world that are not self-sufficient dairy producers. Paradoxically, Haiti imports the vast majority of its dairy products, despite the fact that Haitian dairy farmers are quite capable of producing milk nationally. As such, Veterimed conceptualized Lèt Agogo’s cooperative system of pooling small farmers together to change this reality. Together, farmers are guaranteed a steady income and earn much more as a cooperative than they do trying to survive—and compete—individually. The initial laiterie built over a decade ago was so successful that Veterimed quickly built three others, and the project became sustainable shortly thereafter. Today, fourteen laiteries around the country form the Lèt Agogo diary cooperative, and the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission recently provided funds to construct four more facilities over the next three years. Dr. Chancy’s innovative rural development project was so successful that President René Preval appointed him to the Ministry of Agriculture in order to scale up his food sovereignty model. After being elected, President Martelly retained Dr. Chancy from Preval’s administration, an extremely rare occurrence. To this day, Dr. Chancy remains the Secretary of State for Animal Production in the Ministry of Agriculture.

The simplicity in design of Lèt Agogo’s business model is also the source of its ingenuity. Lèt Agogo organizes these cow and goat farmers into a cooperative around local laiteries. Farmers register at a local laiterie, where they bring all of the milk they have produced at the end of each day. At the drop off window, the number of gallons of milk is meticulously recorded and tracked. Simultaneously, another technician tests the quality, acidity, and sub-density of the milk using testing probes in the distillation center. As such, the milk is standardized to guarantee safety and quality. If a farmer has a problem with his or her livestock, they may use this time to explain the circumstances, and Lèt Agogo will send a veterinarian to provide the necessary services, such as vaccinations, to guarantee the health of the farmers’ animals and ensure the quality of their product. This system also creates a new job market for Haitian veterinarians.

At the entry of the facility, we are required to remove our shoes, sanitize our hands, and dress in Lèt Agogo uniforms. We enter the laiterie and find ourselves in the reception room, where a variety of milk, yogurt, and cheese products are found. Each laiterie is constructed identically such that the architecture of the building flows according to the stages of production, which guarantees maximum production. Dr. Chancy brings us a handful of local ingredients that are added to the milk to create the Lèt Agogo taste in accordance with Haitian tradition: vanilla, sugar, anise, citronella, and cinnamon, among others. All of these are produced locally, and the increased demand aids in creating yet another job market, this time for spice farmers.

We continue into the pasteurization room, which consists of several gas stoves. After the milk is tested, it is pasteurized and spiced in a large pot over the burner, a process which takes approximately twenty minutes. Dr. Chancy enters the next room, where the cooling process takes place, and strikes up several conversations with the workers, asking how their families and jobs are going. He also shows us the refrigerator where syrups used to flavor the yogurt are stored, which include locally-produced strawberry, guava, lemon, vanilla, and orange extracts. In this room, the workers strain the heated milk in large buckets to remove the cinnamon and vanilla remains. Another person begins bottling the milk by hand in a special container and placing them into a crate. After filling a crate, the bottles are hand-capped using a simple press. Lèt Agogo employs personnel to recuperate the standardized glass bottles, which creates more job opportunities for those involved in the cooperative. To aid in this process, recycling programs have been arranged in schools to ensure that the glass bottles are more easily collected and reused.

Once the bottles have been successfully filled and capped, they are returned to the pasteurization room for a second round of sterilization. For another twenty minutes, filled bottles are placed in a high-temperature cooker to kill any remaining bacteria. Finally, the bottles are placed in a large metal basin full of cold water, which brings them back to room temperature. With the specially sealed bottle caps, the milk can remain at room temperature without spoiling.

In the last room, milk bottles are labeled for schools, and the yogurt is labeled for commercial retail. A giant cooler full of yogurt, a refrigerator full of cheese, and a water pump are the only appliances in the entire facility that require electricity, which is generated by a solar panel on the roof of the building. Beyond that, a Lèt Agogo facility functions using natural lighting and manual labor, which means a laiterie can easily be opened in the countryside where electricity is scarce and the sun, abundant.

Each facility is an autonomous enterprise that employs locals for every stage of production. The national program managed from the Ministry of Agriculture and Veterimed provides a model to scale up these facilities, and the brand label “Lèt Agogo” is provided free of charge for these local sustainable enterprises.

To date, Lèt Agogo is the only Haitian dairy product sold nationally, despite difficult conditions of road and electricity infrastructure. As we saw, the pooling and scaling up of local dairy production easily overcomes these traditional challenges in a profitable way. No other program has yet replicated Lèt Agogo’s low-electricity, cooperative, sustainable model. Perhaps this milk production model is the only beginning of food sovereign Haiti, but the question remains: can these mechanisms be replicated in other fields of agriculture, such as vegetable and grain?

Lèt Agogo is not seeking to export, as the domestic market has not yet been saturated, especially since 80% of the products go directly to schools and are not for commercial sale. With the expansion of commercial sales of Lèt Agogo milk, yogurt, and cheese, this farming cooperative is only in an early stage of development. Scaling up has also rendered sustainability somewhat difficult. While each laiterie generates approximately four million Haitian Gourdes ($100,000) profit annually, the cost of a new laiterie is roughly six million Gourdes. For the moment, the Haitian government subsidizes a portion of the construction of new laiteries until commercial operations can generate a sufficient profit. Nonetheless, the more Lèt Agogo can scale up production, the less the Haitian government will need to subsidize the program in the future.

Regardless, it should be clear that Lèt Agogo is not just another state-run program that is losing money. When strictly discussing accounts, one can prematurely reach this conclusion; however, this price tag for the State is a minimal cost given the long-term benefits of the program. The Haitian Government spends a large percentage of its budget on importing food to Haiti, which is entirely illogical given that Haiti is an agricultural country. If Haiti can achieve food sovereignty, the government will spend hundreds of millions less on importing foreign dairy products—among others—each year. Furthermore, no monetary value has been calculated for Lèt Agogo’s school program, which provides thousands of children with access to essential calcium and protein nutrition, nutrition to which they had no access prior to the program. Health care costs for treating protein- or calcium-deficient children are being lowered, and arguably even more beneficially, between 50 and 75 families are employed in each laiterie, which has an enormous environmental and economic impact on Haiti. For every family employed, they no longer cut down trees to make a living. Given that 98% of Haiti has been deforested, the long term environmental impact of Lèt Agogo is necessary for Haiti’s future development.

Traditional economic profitability schemes do not take into consideration these social and environmental impacts on the economy. Yet, in a country in which complicated problems require even more complex solutions, we must start thinking beyond red and black accounts. “We are not worried,” Dr. Chancy concludes. “The State needs to construct for now, and profitability will inevitably come.”

When environmental, social, health, and political benefits are added into Lèt Agogo’s books, this farming cooperative is far beyond profitable. Something as important as producing one’s own food does not have a price tag; neither does turning the tables on deforestation, nor does providing school children with one of their only stable sources of nutrition. When you choose Lèt Agogo, you are choosing much more than a brand and a quality product; you are choosing a new future for Haiti based on a local, sustainable economy.

To learn more about Lèt Agogo, please visit their website at http://www.veterimed.org.ht/let_agogo.htm.
Also check out the YouTube film here: http://www.veterimed.org.ht/page%20video-lait-fr1.htm

-Nick Stratton, President of BrandHaiti

Dear friends,

Welcome to BrandHaiti’s inaugural Spring Break Program at Wahoo Bay Beach Club & Resort in Côte-des-Arcadins, Haïti! Discover the beauty of this Caribbean island nation on white sand beaches, take a fishing boat off the coast to snorkel in the coral reefs…bref, fall in love with “Ayiti Cheri!” Relax during the evening with live music and a Rhum Sour next to the pool, and adventure during the day in the mountains on a hiking trip. On your one-week voyage to Haiti, you will discover a new image of hope and progress while critically discussing the harsh realities of daily life here. Relaxing at the beach does not mean you will escape the massive refugee camp on the Champs-du-Mars and the crumbled Palais National during your Port-au-Prince excursion, but these experiences will be mixed with our focus groups with Haitian entrepreneurs at the hotel to provide an alternative perspective. Poverty, disaster, and cholera are present in Haiti, but so are beauty, entrepreneurship, hope, and resilience. We hope you will see for yourselves to what point the negative image of Haiti is intentionally exaggerated while the positive sides of Haiti remain in the darkness. As we say, “Jou a rive pou nou chanje,” or “The time has come for us to change.” If you have questions or comments about the itinerary, please email BrandHaiti President Nick Stratton at stratton.nick@gmail.com, or Marie-Gabrielle Isidore at mariegabby@gmail.com. Thank you for your enthusiasm, e bon vwayaj! Please learn more about Wahoo Bay by watching the BrandHaiti promotional video of the resort by clicking here.

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM BROCHURE HERE!

To participate in this unique program, please register by clicking here.