Building Resilient Leaders
The Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP) is building a community of young professionals and leaders committed to building a more just and equitable Haiti. For almost twenty years, the Haitian Timoun Foundation has been one of HELP’s largest investors, providing support to Haiti’s top scholars.
HELP develops leaders
At the core of HELP’s mission is a belief that investing in education empowers individuals to contribute meaningfully to a just, resilient, and thriving society. So many of Haiti’s bright young people lack access to higher education because they have faced a constant cycle of profound challenges including generational poverty. HELP provides university scholarships to students who otherwise would not be able to earn a college degree.
The HELP community envisions a nation where every Haitian has access to quality education, lifelong learning opportunities and the chance to realize their full potential.
HELP students not only enroll in their course of study and take the necessary classes to earn a degree, but they also receive dormitory housing, access to technology, an additional Citizenship & Leadership curriculum, and they participate in a service project. These service projects can be focused on education, public health, infrastructure, and civic engagement. Through completing their service project, HELP students receive first hand experience in grassroots development and what’s necessary to create lasting change in Haiti. These experiences and skills prepare them for their future, regardless of what profession they choose to pursue.
Tamara is preparing to be a haitian leader
Tamara Leon is a HELP Scholar studying psychology.
Tamara is a HELP scholar currently studying psychology. She shares that, “Through my Clinical Psychology course, I learned how psychologists marry theory, methodology, and practice to identify challenges and deliver the best outcomes for patients. Little by little, I feel that I come closer to understanding the essence of psychology, and the beauty of the discipline becomes more apparent to me in the process.”
In addition to taking university courses in her area of study, Tamara, like all HELP scholars, receives training in computer science, leadership and citizenship. Tamara said, “the citizenship and leadership course led me to truly discover who I am and better understand my community, to develop my leadership skills while getting involved in efforts that bring happiness and prosperity to my community.” The heart of the HELP program isn’t just education, it’s developing well-rounded individuals who will lead Haiti to a bright tomorrow.
Tamara’s service learning project supported a local orphanage seeking to create a safe, enriching environment supporting the personal growth, education, and cultural development for children experiencing orphanhood. As she reflected on this experience, Tamara said, “Participating in this project showed me that helpful actions we may consider small can have a huge impact on the lives of others.” She is taking her experiences in the HELP and sharing them with others, including those with fewer opportunities than her. This is what it looks like to be a leader - to take the resources invested in you and pass them on to others! We are proud to be investing in Tamara’s future knowing she will steward her education and training for the benefit of other Haitians.
The tenacity and resilience of help
Tamara credits the holistic support that HELP provides as a huge reason she’s been successful academically despite the difficulties she and her family face in Port-au-Prince. This fall, HELP has evolved in two important ways for their current and future students. As an organization, they’ve been forced to reimagine the details of their day-to-day operations, but this has led to a new partnership with the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) and opening a new center in a relatively safe neighborhood in Port-au-Prince.
The partnership with AUC, a university in Les Cayes, will enable HELP to welcome 48 freshman students into the program this year! This means that almost 50 of Haiti’s brightest young people will receive a university scholarship, career counseling and leadership development. Over the next five years, they will be equipped to lead Haiti into a brighter tomorrow.
Pictured: HELP Students at the American University of the Caribbean in Les Cayes, Haiti.
The new center in Port-au-Prince is in a relatively safe neighborhood and will provide a secure environment for the third- through fifth-year students to continue their studies. Many HELP students have reported that the support they receive, both tangible, such as reliable internet access, and intangible, have enabled them to continue their studies despite the difficult climate in Haiti.
HTF remains committed to the students and the mission of HELP. Their resilience, flexibility and tenacity in the face of political instability is a model for us all. Together with the generosity of HTF investors, HELP is making dreams come true for Haitian young people.
Come be inspired! You are invited to a virtual visit with HELP, where you’ll see the American University of the Caribbean and HELP’s new center in Port-au-Prince. Join us as we meet with a current HELP student, a HELP graduate and a HELP team member who are cultivating hope and transforming lives in Haiti. Registration is required.