INTERVIEWED ON "ON THE ROAD WITH iV"

HAITI CHILDREN'S CHOIR

They did a wonderful song and dance performance. The two American visitors accompanying me loved it and the exchange following the performance was rich. Requests for photos were not shy!

Photos of members of Haiti Children's Choir

I hope to have a video on youtube up on this performance soon.

Written from home in Mariaman, Haiti December 4, 2008.

It’s 3:30 am and I can’t sleep. Tomorrow I’ll be back in Florida and I’m feeling deep gratitude for people who make our work possible.

This afternoon I met with an American woman who, like me, has been involved with Haiti for the last 17 years. But she’s been on Oprah, CNN, Good Morning America, etc. This exposure has funds pouring in for her schools and orphanages.

The organizational and local leadership challenges she shared have me feeling especially grateful for my Haitian colleagues. The abuse of power that is so typical is something that’s foreign to our network.

This week I was with a group of Haitians working in Cite Soleil, the largest most violent slum in Haiti. These folks grew up there. They’re tough and learned early on to do what it takes to survive. What inspires me and the American visitor traveling with me who met with them 10 years ago, is their personal growth. They are effectively managing more than $300,000 yearly to deliver food and a variety of services to people in Cite Soleil. What’s more is that they are receiving dozens of medical professionals from the US each year who consult thousands of patients. And this group is just one example of the fine people in our participatory leadership network doing extraordinary work year after year after year.