Life in Haiti was almost unbearable before the earthquake. Today, it is literally Hell on Earth.
The only solution for Haiti is for those who have fled in the Diaspora to return and dedicate themselves, along with the international community, to rebuild this hemorrhaging nation.
One young man who is up to the task is Jimmy Toussaint, who I wrote about here last spring (story).
He represents the Haitian-American movement of young thought leaders and global citizens.
From a preeminent family in Haiti, Jimmy is as American as you can. He hails from Brooklyn - and he is ready to give back to Haiti.
Last year he worked with his family to build a school for the children of Leogane, 18 miles west of Port-au-Prince. This year he has joined the Advisory Board of Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW) to support orphan care in Haiti.
Jimmy was in our home immediately after the earthquake, worried about loved ones he could not reach in Haiti. John Lee and I spoke with him at great length:
I was born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn in a heavily Haitian community. When I was growing up, I was exposed to Haitian culture most of my life.From the food, to the music and the language, I was influenced greatly by my exposure; which generally came via my family born and raised in Haiti.
So, when I was growing up, I felt a real connection to a country I have never seen until much later in my life. I would hear stories about my family back in Haiti by way of my grandmother and father.
I learned of the country's past glories and achievements. Some of which my own family had a hand in.
And, I have learned of the country's shortcomings and downfalls. Some of which family members of mine played a role. But, I, like many Haitians in America, was always interested in making Haiti better.
Everyone spoke about it though. Not many people acted upon their desire. Not many people thought it was possible to do something without major backing. Those weren't the sentiments of my parents and I.
In 2008, my mother, step-father, and I embarked on a project to bring high quality education to children in the area my mother grew up in. Leogane, Haiti was to be our area of operation.We found that many NGOs that operated schools made educational institutions that they wouldn't send their own children to.
We were sick of the "old shack with a barely educated teacher" model. We wanted to produce students that would not only compete with their counterparts in other countries but boost the human capital in Haiti.
We achieved the construction of this project and we achieved it without donations. My mother picked up extra hours at the hospital and worked weekends. My step father sold his land in Haiti. And, let's just say I learned to eat fewer meals.
All together we spent upwards to three hundred thousand dollars to construct Colline Academie, named after the area of Leogane we built the school in, and to hire personnel.
Our teachers were well educated. Our principal was an amazing leader. Our school building was somewhat of an attraction. It was officially the largest preliminary school in Leogane. The community was proud to have the school located in the area it was in.For the first time, a child could have dignity and pride in the place they were educated in, instead of receiving an education in an overcrowded shack by a teacher that didn't go any further than an eighth grade education themselves.
The school survived three hurricanes in its first year of operation. We considered ourselves lucky during the first wave of tragedies. That could not be said for the recent one. The earthquake completely destroyed Colline Academie.
It was destroyed during school hours. I have no idea if people were in the building when it fell and if people were, I have no idea of the number of casualties.
The school was built by my parents and I. So, it was built by people with a working class salary. We cannot afford to rebuild. However, we are negotiating to have it rebuilt.
The kind of education the children were receiving was one that they would have never had access to if they were to stay in Haiti.We used an American school inspired curriculum and implanted educational initiatives that met the needs of a child growing up in Haiti.
We were on the cusp of opening a computer lab and introducing technology to the community. All of it is gone.
Now, we are attempting to figure out what we are going to do, and exactly how we are going to rebuild. It is essential that we value education and realize that it can open doors for the children of Haiti.
Half of the population in Haiti is under the age of 21. The generation that Colline Academie was educating, was the generation that was to take the helm of the country and move it into the right direction.
Haiti will never achieve self sufficiency without a population that is capable of moving the country forward. And, Colline Academie was working towards achieving just that.
On Martin Luther King Day we will announce our plans for the future.
I am pleased that Jimmy Toussaint has joined the Global Advisory Board of Orphans International Worldwide, which I founded ten years ago. Today, the "Orphans International Movement" has more than 100 NGOs around the world.
Luckily, the Orphans International Worldwide project in Jacmel survived the earthquake and none of our children were harmed (story).
Jimmy Toussaint is the type of role model I want our kids living at Orphans International Haiti to have, so that they can be raised as global citizens
Related Stories by Jim Luce
Endorsing a Haitian-American Candidate in Brooklyn (HuffPo)No Word Yet From Our Orphaned Children in Haiti (HuffPo)
Fonkoze: Haitian Diaspora Unites Across U.S. (HuffPo)
Haitian NGO Leader on Orphan Care (Daily Kos)
Embracing Family Care For Orphans (HuffPo)
Unexpectedly, Orphans International Focused On Disaster Relief (Blogspot)
As if They Were His Own: Former Toastmaster Finds Courage to Transform the World's Orphanages (Toastmasters Magazine)
Orphans International Opens Doors in Haiti (Blogspot)
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