Yesterday, a person said to me “I don’t mean to be harsh, but I’ve been to Haiti and it seems as if nothing is getting better down there. How can you keep working with Haiti?”

My answer is because we must. Though the political situation is tenuous, there are community based programs throughout Haiti making a real difference. Our response is not to abandon them, which would be unquestionable. The members of these organizations were our co-workers, our friends, and family members. Our connection to Haiti motivates us and energizes us even when the overall situation seems bleak.

We seek to keep members of the Haiti Innovation Community similarly connected. We can do more together than alone. Together, we are able to provide community workers with the resources they need not just to maintain the status quo, but to expand their services to more and more people. Their work has never been more needed.

Everyone has a role they can play, each person can do something. Small community based projects are the prism through which we view development in Haiti. What I would like to ask our readers is how do you maintain a connection to Haiti? How can we encourage others to stay connected?