Development done by haitians, for haitians, with international supporters

Focused on community development in Southeast Haiti, we strive to help Haitian communities materialize and achieve their own community development dreams. Our Mission is intentionally broad and multi-faceted because we want hear indigenous ideas and dreams from communities instead of trying to force foreign projects and development ideas on our Haitian friends. Central to our mission is the belief that development is not done to a community by outsiders; it is done by the community itself. Our development model begins with making friendships and identifying locally recognized leaders and visionaries. From there, we enter in to community-led discussions and brainstorm with the community to figure how best we can partner with them to achieve some of their own ideas for development. We really are just trying to do life with with people in one of the most remote areas of the Western Hemisphere.

At the end of the day, we are trying to do life together with our Haitian friends.

The Federation Model

At Love Haiti, we believe that development in Haiti can only be achieved if it is initiated, developed, and implemented by Haitians in their own local contexts. Our organization is a support base and organizational partner for these communities while they develop themselves. We primarily engage and make decisions with our partner communities through what in Haiti is called a Federation.

Federation -

A legal, social entity in Haiti comprised of leaders from diverse sectors of a community that can make development decisions on behalf of a community. Federations are comprised of individuals known locally in the community as leaders, typically including leaders such as: entrepreneurs, educators, local politicians, academics, and religious/spiritual authority figures (Catholic/Protestant/Vodou Priests all included).

Through these Federations, our partner communities are able to own property, collect communal donations for projects, and facilitate decision making on behalf of the community. The collective, local ownership of these health clinic buildings builds pride and sustainability within each community; allowing and encouraging the community to view the ongoing development work as their own!

Because of this approach and our belief in local empowerment, Love Haiti legally owns very few things in Haiti. Outside of our Headquarters and a couple of company vehicles, our community Federations locally own every project/building that we enter into with them!

This model for community development is not a quick-fix, one size fits all approach. Instead, it forces us to create deep friendships and to engage in active, deep listening with our community partners. Central to our ethos is the belief this work of relationship-building is a long-term process, not a short-term product. We really are not that interested in doing one-off projects that don’t require relationship building and never returning to the same community (by the way, we’ve seen time and again that those projects usually don’t have a beneficial, lasting impact on Haitian communities).

We continue to look for new opportunities and ideas to help Haitians help Haitians. We are constantly in communication with our Haitian friends in the southeast, avidly searching for what dream we could help materialize next. You can be a part of the story! Donate some money, say some prayers, or invest your time!