A Local Lens: Photos and Updates from Petit Trou

Stherlandy Simon’s Journey from Girls’ Empowerment Program Participant to Award Winning Photographer

A smiling young Black woman with curly hair poses against a light background. She wears a pink satin blouse with long sleeves and blue jeans.

Stherlandy Simon was 17 years old when she joined Locally Haiti’s girls' empowerment program. Fast forward three and a half years, and she is using her curiosity and talents to highlight her community’s resilience through photographs.

Since first joining our girls’ empowerment clubs in early 2021, Stherlandy was recognized as a vocal, dynamic, and passionate young leader. Later that year, in the wake of the August 14th earthquake, she was selected to take part in a photography and storytelling workshop funded by Locally Haiti.

Stherlandy excelled, and was identified by Phalonne Pierre Louis, a Haitian cinematographer and activist and the facilitator of the workshop, as a promising young talent. Thanks to a grant, Locally Haiti purchased a professional camera for Stherlandy and she enrolled in courses in Port-au-Prince, relocating with support from extended family and mentorship from a vibrant network of Haitian photographers and cinematographers. 

In 2023, Stherlandy was awarded a grant from the Fund for Promising Young Photographers, from the Centre d'Art at FOKAL, after submitting an application focused on documenting the lives and work of women in Petit Trou de Nippes.

Stherlandy returned to Petit Trou earlier this year, moving back home as violence and insecurity forced an estimated 270,000 people to leave the capital for the rural south of Haiti. In addition to pursuing her own photography projects, Stherlandy is documenting the important progress occurring in Locally Haiti supported programs, as local leaders stretch to meet the enormous need in this vibrant, growing community.

Below we share a sampling of Stherlandy’s recent photos, and we look forward to sharing more in the coming months.


Jean Elie Laconte: Beekeeper & Agronomist

Jean Elie currently manages 39 Locally Haiti supported hives in Petit Trou, checking the health of populations and extracting honey, while providing education and training to the local families who own the hives.


Girls’ Empowerment & Mentoring: A Graduation & A GARDEN

On June 30th, Pwoje Gem, our Girls’ Empowerment program, celebrated the completion of a five-year, four phase program implemented in partnership with Repanse Pouvwa (“Rethink Power”).

Stherlandy also photographed participants in a Girls’ Empowerment and Gardening program. With Locally Haiti support, these young women tend the garden and manage sales and revenue from produce, learning invaluable skills, producing local nutrition, and earning money to support their education.


St. Paul’s School Garden: Educating and Feeding the Next Generation

Long-time Locally Haiti supporters will recognize Jameson and Schneider, former students at St. Paul’s who studied agronomy on Locally Haiti supported scholarships. They’re now back at St. Paul’s as managers of the farming and agricultural education programs. In the past three months, Jameson, Schneider, and the students have planted 3,000 pepper plants, 170 watermelons, 200 tomato plants, 240 plantain trees, and 80 moringa trees.