When scholar Almeida Pierre began planning his summer service project—a core part of our leadership curriculum—he returned to a simple belief: Haiti’s future should be shaped by Haitians who know the land, not by outsiders parachuting in to “fix” it.

A fourth-year agronomy student, Almeida designed a climate and agriculture workshop for farmers in Ouanaminthe, one of the country’s most important agricultural regions. He wanted farmers to have access to practical science, not slogans—real knowledge about climate change, seed selection, and soil protection.

But getting there would be its own test of leadership.

As his departure approached, gangs blocked the roads. Transportation companies refused to travel. Teammates fell ill. And self-doubt crept in—Would the farmers think he didn’t care? Would they lose trust if HELP students didn’t show up?

Still, Almeida felt a responsibility to live the values he’d learned at HELP: service, integrity, and shared responsibility. He convinced one friend to join him, found a motorcycle driver willing to take them through a dangerous mountain passage called Savann Dézole, and after 12 grueling hours of detours, heat, and dust, they reached Ouanaminthe.

The next morning, the farmers were waiting.

They asked rigorous questions. They connected climate change to their shrinking rice yields. One farmer looked at Almeida and asked, amazed:

“You crossed all that just to teach us?”

By the end, an agricultural association invited him back—this time to teach leadership and crisis management. Not because of the topic, but because of the trust he had built simply by showing up.

When Almeida returned to Port-au-Prince, something in him had shifted.
He felt not just pride—but power. Not for himself, but on behalf of his country.

Within months, he organized another training entirely on his own, without funding, reaching more than 200 young people across six communities in the Artibonite Valley. And again, the community asked him to return.

This is what HELP’s mission creates:

Haitian leaders who lift their communities, strengthen local knowledge, and transform Haiti from within.

Almeida’s journey—past gangs, poverty, and doubt—happened because someone once invested in him. That investment became courage, then leadership, then impact.

As we enter the holiday season, we hope you’ll continue following the stories of young leaders like Almeida—stories of resilience, creativity, and a deep belief that Haiti’s future belongs to its people.

And if you’re able, we invite you to consider a gift that supports scholars like him. Even a small contribution makes a real difference in the lives of young Haitians who are determined to build the country they love.