A Letter From Our CEO

I recently returned from Cap Haïtien where I participated in candidate interviews for the incoming class of 2026. Talking with the candidates, I was reminded of the great talent that exists in every corner of Haiti and the even greater obstacles that so many Haitian families face for housing, food and basic education.

And even when they achieve that bare minimum, the slightest disturbance in their precarious sitatuation, a parent or child falling ill, a supporting aunt or uncle losing their job, precipitates a downward cycle from which they are unlikely to recover.

Maelson, a young man who lives near the Dominican border, with an absent father and a mother who can no longer work due to illness, told us if he didn’t get into HELP, in the next few weeks he would have to do start some kind of “commerce”, buying dry goods or food in the Dominican Republic and selling them at home for pennies on the dollar.

Though his high school grades are in the top 5% in the country, he admitted that his future options are limited to two paths: a HELP scholarship or selling the imported dry goods.

It’s hard to think about the precarious future Maelson, and every other student sitting on the other side of the table, face without access to higher education or opportunity. But even more alarming is the scale at which talent is left undeveloped and unsatisfied in Haiti, and what that loss means for the future of families, of towns and communities, of entire sectors.

What happens when a country needs more doctors, more scientists, more engineers, more nurses, more leaders, more economists, and only gets fewer? What happens when generations of kids excel through high school, dream big, and then face only two paths forward, like Maelson?

These questions weigh on us through each conversation and deliberation, because we know the power of this scholarship and this opportunity.

HELP alum Yveline lives in Cap Haïtien and volunteered to coordinate interview scheduling. She just completed an internship with a local manufacturer, after which they promptly hired her to redesign their entire supply chain. The company told us that they felt “beyond blessed to work with HELP interns and benefit from HELP’s truly amazing work.” A young person, a family, a company, their futures all transformed with just one investment.

Over the past 30 years, HELP has learned a great deal about identifying, supporting, and developing Haiti’s young people. We’ll be sharing more soon about what that experience has taught us – and where we’re going next.

-Conor Bohan, Co-Founder & Executive Director