October marked the first annual Advisory Board retreat.Eight dedicated board members and two energetic interns forfeited their standard leisure weekend activities to summit in Washington D.C, performing strategic long-term planning on behalf of the organization.Some local and some flying across the country to attend, each board member brought their thinking cap and a positive outlook for the growth and future of the organization.Assembled was a diverse collection of professional and academic backgrounds, wisdom and important life experiences to bring to the table. Topics for evaluation included communications, outreach, fundraising, administration and programs. As a result of the hard work and brainstorming, a cohesive business plan is in the works with a focus on Roots of Development’s long-term vision and goals for the future.This plan will be an essential tool for the organization and its members as Roots begins to grow and evolve. The plan will also be an important informational guide for investors considering the future outlook of our current and potential programs.
Yes, I was born and raised in Gran Sous and lived here all my life.
What about this community makes you call it home?
Well, I was born here, I was educated here, I love providing service to my home and there are beautiful trees in Gran Sous and water and I love the people.
Could you give an example of how you serve your community?
I am president of an association called ADAG 2006. We work in education; health, culture, economic development; the environment and construction (mainly rebuild homes after hurricanes). As president I guide the organization but we discuss issues and make decisions as a team.
How did you become president of this association?
I had some ideas for developing our community and was working on making them a reality. Some of the others saw this and thought my ideas were good and so they chose me to be their leader.
What is an example of some of the ideas you were working on before becoming president of ADAG?
It all started when I ran as a candidate for Assemblé Seksyon Kommunale (Community Section Assembly) and won. We started to work on the environment by cleaning it and working to make our surroundings look better. Then we worked on the water source. We had the water tested in a lab in Port-au-Prince and the results showed that it was unsafe. While working on improving the water, we met Chad and it was with his help that we were able to get engineers and the money needed to get a clean water source. And today we no longer have typhoid or diarrhea.
What was your motivation for running for a position in the Community Section Assembly?
I took part in the election because we wanted development and saw this assembly as an opportunity to help us reach our goal.
And this assembly helped you reach this goal?
Well, we were originally KODAG but changed the association to ADAG because we wanted to change the organization’s system. Since we were working on larger projects we decided to make it more inclusive so that more people can get involved.
What do you hope for the future of ADAG 2006?
I hope that we become a larger organization that can develop La Gonav and begin to touch Haiti.
Of all the projects your organization is working on which would you most like to see come to fruition?
We’re working on a lot of projects but I would most like to see Gran Sous have electricity so that we can light our streets and homes. For anyone that is in the dark there can be no activity. Their children cannot study, they cannot work and so I think getting lights gives us more time to work and progress.
Are you making any progress on reaching this goal?
We’ve come up with a plan but it’s the means and resources that we are lacking.
What is your favorite proverb and why?
Yo sel dwet pa manjé kalalou (Translation: one finger does not eat okra) I like it because it reminds me that I cannot do anything alone, but when partnered with many others, we’re stronger and can make a lot of progress.
