« To share our science and our fortune with our brothers is to work for peace in the world. »
Louis Pasteur

THE HAÏTI PARTAGE FOUNDATION
Last revision on September 11, 2006

The Haïti Partage Foundation is an NGO (non-governmental organization) incorporated in 1967 under Section III of the Quebec Companies Act. It was first named "Foundation Roger-Riou," and from 1976 to 1999, "Fondation Témoignage-Fraternité-Partage" (i.e., Testimony-Fraternity-Sharing Foundation ). Since 1999, it is known simply as "Fondation Haïti Partage" (i.e., Haiti Sharing Foundation ). The governing board of the Foundation consists of ten unpaid volunteer directors. It has only two part-time employees. Its head office is located at 6830 Park Avenue, office 580, Montreal H3N 1J7.

Its presence in Quebec

The Haïti Partage Foundation has an active presence in Quebec. It publishes a regular newsletter whith thousands of readers and also provides information about problems of the Third World.. The Foundation has also published three books.

It helps Haïtian artisans to sell the handicrafts made in Les Abricots.

Its presence in Haiti

Its main action is in Haiti, more precisely in Jérémie, the administrative centre of the department of Grand'Anse, and in Abricots, a coastal village in the same department.

THE FOUNDATION FOCUSES ITS ACTIVITIES IN THREE INTERDEPENDENT SECTORS

1- Education. The Foundation helps a network of elementary schools with 2600 pupils, a nursing school and local libraries in addition to promoting the reforestation of the region.

2- Economic development. The Foundation supports various activities such as handicraft, woodwork and carpentry workshops, beekeeping, a woman's agricultural cooperative, the marketing of dried fruits and vegetables, and the management of a credit union (Loan and Saving Cooperative) which generate employment and income for the local population.

3- Health and humanitarian help. The Foundation helps with the collecting of water from springs. It also gives subsidies to an old women' home, to health centers and to school's canteens.

The resources of the Foundation

Year in, year out, the Foundation's capital comes mainly from private donations. Public subsidies can also add to its funds. For instance, the CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) contributes regularly since June 2001, provided that the Foundation raise private funds in excess of $50,000. Also, in a more punctual way, the Foundation collaborated in the 1970s with the Canadian Embassy to coordinate the construction of the public market of Jérémie, of some schools in Jérémie, of the road from Jérémie to Abricots, as well as the reconstruction of Jérémie's airport, all with the help of the discretionary funds of the Canadian ambassador.

The administrative expenditures

Funds needed to run the Foundation are limited to the absolute minimum. Furthermore, much of these funds come from the profits generated by the sale of Loto-Quebec tickets at a stand managed by the Foundation.

PRESENTATION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AUGUST 2006

Marguerite Aussant, St-Hyacinthe, PQ

Marguerite Aussant is a member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in St-Hyacinthe (http://www.sjsh.org/), a religious order dedicated to the teaching of boys and girls, with schools in Quebec and Manitoba (Canada), in Lesotho, Orange Free State, and Chad (Africa), in Brazil and Haïti. Sister Aussant was a school principal in Lesotho for several years. From 1997 to 2002, she was also in charge of a school in Abricots, Haiti. In January 2004, she was elected Foundation president.

Jocelyne Bonnefil, Chambly, PQ

Born in Haïti, Mrs. Bonnefil is involved in philanthropic organizations, such as the AUPAS Group which is responsible for a small school in the hills of Déjeume, in the municipality of Abricots.

Rollande Brunelle, Repentigny, PQ

A chartered accountant by profession, Mrs. Brunelle is treasurer of the Board of directors. She created the computerized accounting system used by the Foundation, a system which is easy to use and which complies with the established standards of the accounting profession.

Danièle Chabot, Laval, PQ

An administrator and teacher in a Montreal Cegep (i.e. a community college) since 1985, Mrs. Chabot has made numerous trips to Haiti during her tenure a a member of the Board on which she has served in various positions. Her main contribution has been to ensure the financial health of the Foundation by combining the public donations with subsidies coming from the sales of Loto-Quebec lottery tickets.

Louis Dumont, Montreal, PQ

A professor of pharmacology at the University of Montréal, Mr. Dumont has been a member of the Foundation since 1985 and erved as president from 1994 to 1999. Educational projects for children and adult training in the region of Grand'Anse in Haiti are his main interests.

Claude Jean-François, PQ

A Haïtian orthopedic-surgeon, Dr. Jean-François is well known for his commitment to the bettering of Haïti. Dr. Jean-François was president of the haïtian Red-Cross and health minister in the Haïtian government.

Suzy Landry, Montreal, PQ

Following her teaching experiences in Africa and with women's groups who worked in public markets, Mrs. Landry got involved in the Haïti Partage Foundation to help the women of Haïti improve their life conditions. She is now in her third six months' session of teaching and training in Jérémie.

Guy Lapalme, St-Hippolyte, PQ

A recently retired psycho-educator, Mr. Lapalme's interest lies in ability of individual and groups to take care of themselves. He coordinates the assistance project in Haiti for the Foundation.

Léon A. Lemay, Three-Rivers, PQ

President of the Foundation from May 1999 to June 2002, Mr. Lemay worked in health and social services. Committed to the Foundation since 1982, he has made several trips to and within Haiti to help the volunteers from Quebec. He has written two travel stories to collect funds and to increase Quebeckers' awareness of the tragic reality of Haiti. Mr. Lemay is presently the vice-president of the Foundation.

Jacques Rousseau, St-Faustin - Square Lake, PQ

Because the Foundation was created by his elder brother, Réal, Mr. Jacques Rousseau felt that there was no other way for him than to get involved with the Foundation. He thinks that "the end of the tunnel might be far, but every gesture moves us closer to the purpose." Mr. Rousseau is the secretary of the board of directors.

Miki Roy, Longueuil, PQ

Haitian by birth, Mrs. Roy left her country in 1959 to settle down in Montreal with her husband, Dr. Louis Roy, and their children. Now a long established citizen of Quebec, she has not forgotten nor turned away from Haïti and is grateful to the members of the Board of the Foundation and to all its donors, for being so generous to Haïti.

Staff of the Foundation

Ann Edwards

Ann Edwards is an economist by profession. She worked for an NGO in Africa and now coordinates the Foundation's projects in Haiti.

Mario Labelle

Mr. Labelle is in charge of activities of the secretariat for the Foundation and of the relations with its donors.

SOME OF THE AGENTS OF DEVELOPMENT IN HAITI

Our colleagues in Haiti are Haitians who have created interesting projects as well as missionary and lay Quebec citizens who endeavour to communicate their knowledge to teachers, to members of the cooperative and to the other persons who can act as agents.of change.

Mrs. Mica De Verteuil. A Haitian-born teacher, since 1975 she has devoted herself to the development of the countryside of Abricots. She is assisted by a team of local Haïtians. Among these are a general manager, Mr. Jean-Panel Jeune, and two assistant directors. There is also a person responsible for the art and craft workshop and a citizen' committee which manages the local credit union (Saving and Loans). Mrs. Mica de Verteuil was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in December 2003 in recognition of her work in Abricots.

The Sisters of the Bon-Pasteur, of Quebec (http://www.soeursdubonpasteur.ca/organisation.htm). Their work in the fields of education, and health care is remarkable and greatly useful in all of the Grand'Anse' region. These nuns also teach local women to read, to take care of fruit and vegetable gardens, to cook, sew, etc. so they can become autonomous and improve their quality of life.

PROGRESS AND TREATMENT OF THE PROJECTS

1- All the projects come directly from the needs of the persons they are intended to help. These needs are identified by the persons themselves or by field workers and form the basis of the project. The persons must then participate directly in the project itself . For instance, both the children of the schools in the hills and their parents are called upon to transport the material necessary to expand their school. The objective is that the persons thereby helped can become autonomous and self-sufficient, hence the "cooperative" concept and the insistence on "training."

2- The projects are first proposed to the Board of Directors of the Foundation who assess them in association with a specialist in the field. This specialist who has been a field worker and who knows both the promoters and the beneficiaries, is able to guide the Board of Directors in judging these proposals. Requests will be accepted or refused according to the relevance of their objectives and to the money they requires. Furthermore, several projects must fit into within a three-year action plan. Certain projects must also receive the approval of CIDA.

3- Once a project is begun, regular field controls are conducted year round both by field directors and by members of the Board . When the results are positive, the projects are renewed on a yearly basis.

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