Hurricane Isaac hit Haiti on August 24th. While it could have been far worse, the country is extremely vulnerable to disasters and the storm still caused severe flooding, loss of houses, crops and livestock and new outbreaks of cholera.
The resilience of rural communities, their ability to work together to improve their lives, is not built after an earthquake, a hurricane or a food crisis happens. It is a long-term process, and it is what PDL and Groundswell International do in Haiti.
In this video, Sylvia Elminord, a young woman leader asks other young people “How can we unite ourselves to find what we need?” We support Haitians to find answers to that question.
“The approach of PDL is different because PDL doesn’t come to bring something to the community,” says PDL program coordinator Ulrick Sampeur. “But it permits the people in the community to build their own capacity.”
Before the recent hurricane, two organizations, Le Centre Haitien du Leadership et de l’Excellence and the Coady International Institute of Canada, went to Baillly, Haiti to capture part of the story. Please take a look.
Support Groundswell to continue strengthening the resilience of rural communities in Haiti and elsewhere to improve their lives and their countries from the bottom up.