Thankful for Haiti – A Reflection from Board President Erin Snyder Ulric
As we head into the Holiday season, it’s a natural time to reflect on all the things I’m grateful for, and there are so many things that I feel gratitude for. I first traveled to Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti in 2004 with the Colorado Haiti Project (now Locally Haiti). That trip changed the trajectory of my life, leading away from a career as an actuary, to one in public health, where I’ve had the opportunity to live and travel all over the world working with communities to make health accessible.
Serving on the Board of Locally Haiti for the past ten years has been an honor, a joy, and sometimes a challenge! It has given me so much more than I have contributed. I have had the opportunity to work with brilliant and collaborative people, and watched and supported the organization as it transformed into one that centers equity, community leadership, and just solutions to unjust problems. In Haiti, this has included local leaders who are involving their communities and are creating local solutions to complex problems through partnership and true devotion. In the US, I’ve worked with many of YOU, amazing people who are willing to support and trust community leaders who lack the resources to make the changes they envision.
Agriculture, health, education, and girls’ empowerment are cornerstones of Locally Haiti’s programs, not because those of us in the US decided that Petit Trou would benefit from those things, but because our friends in Petit Trou told us they would benefit from those things, we listened, and they took the steps to make change.
Due to the earthquake in 2021, the community has been without a health center for over two years, and it’s been a community priority to build a quality community hospital that will serve the 36,000+ people in Petit Trou with health care in a dignified, safe, and durable setting. As a public health professional for nearly 20 years, I know that while health care is only one component of health, when this component is missing, no one can thrive.
As I wind down my Board service with Locally Haiti, I have so much optimism about the future – for the communities in Petit Trou de Nippes, and the future of Locally Haiti.
In Petit Trou, they will have a community hospital that is providing the care people deserve. They will continue to nurture a nationally recognized school with high quality education programs for youth through high school. They will have thriving agriculture programs that will continue to feed their communities, and they will have a culture where girls know that they are just as valuable as anyone else.
For Locally Haiti, we have a new slate of Board officers led by Dr. John Douglas, who has over 40 years of public health and healthcare experience. Dr. Douglas will continue to push this organization forward and brings the skill set to lead as we take on the new community hospital. He is supported by a rockstar set of officers in April Moore Radoff, Jennie Fleurant, and Esteban Rosas. And last, but certainly not least, optimism about our organization’s leader, Wynn Walent – who continues to build relationships and trust in Petit Trou, communicate with brilliance so those of us who are not there feel like we are, and push the boundaries of what we thought was possible for a small, but mighty organization.
Thank you, as always for the years of support, and for sharing your resources, both financial and otherwise. We will continue to need your help to continue this vision for the future! If you are interested in becoming more deeply engaged in our work, please send a note to info@locallyhaiti.org. From very personal experience, I can tell you that you will never regret investing your time and talents with our amazing community both in Haiti, and in the US.
