Haiti is the only country in the Americas on the UN list of Least Developed Countries. Ninety-eight percent of its forests have been cut down. Its population is dependant on wood-derived charcoal based energy, and it is struggling to survive. A new grassroots reforestation effort has started to train and educate over 450 young leaders in 12 cities and towns across Haiti. They are working to adopt a new vision for their country: A vision that promotes a sustainable and scalable development of Haiti.
By Alex Cequea
Haiti is the only country in the Americas on the UN list of Least Developed Countries. Ninety-eight percent of its forests have been cut down. Its population is dependant on wood-derived charcoal based energy, and it is struggling to survive. A new grassroots reforestation effort has started to train and educate over 450 young leaders in 12 cities and towns across Haiti. They are working to adopt a new vision for their country: A vision that promotes a sustainable and scalable development of Haiti.
The group hopes to mobilize young change-makers and locals to plant 1.5 million fruit trees through a Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP). This is no small feat, considering that vast deforestation has made 70% of the land not cultivable, and the extreme soil erosion has made Haiti’s environment one of the most devastated in the world.
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“We need to show [the youth] a path and a motive.†Said his holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the International Association of Human Values, and one of the main supporters of the project. The program will give young leaders a path and motivation not just through knowledge and organizational skills, but also through systematic personal development techniques. Local communities will be given organizational training to establish accountability and goal measurements, and the last stage of the project will provide technical training on proper and sustainable reforestation methods.
The group hopes to raise 138,000 dollars for the Youth Leadership Training Program. The main emphasis of the training program is to help young leaders identify and resolve community issues and even starts with an 8-day “stress elimination†class. Their mission is to revive and enrich communities through the upliftment and transformation of youth. Then, these transformed young leaders will be better able to take responsibility for their communities.
They have already planted 250 mango, coconut, and olive trees in cooperation with local farmers.
The Haiti Reforestation Project is led by the people of Haiti, the International Association for Human Values, Friends of Petite Anse, and the Art of Living Foundation. For more info contact Bill Herman, Director of Youth Leadership Training IAHV, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
