In 2012, just two years after the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti, Color of Hope launched the construction of the Hope & Innovation Center as a result of growing demands for our services and programs. The center is now the first ever community tech center in Haiti destined to bring 21st century skills to communities and youth.
Our programs range from introduction to computers to coding, from teacher training to story time, from science lab to movie night and everything in between. The best part of it all is that we take our programs on the road, even to the most remote parts of the country. Most of the programs are in their testing phases and are going great, however the NUMBER ONE issue we face in delivering these wonderful programs is the lack of electricity, and being environmentally conscious makes it even harder for us. As a Haiti Hope Ambassador, I endeavor to provide for the needs of the organization in order for us to fulfill our mission. This year, I am asking for your help to address this critical issue.
Here is what I mean; Haiti has an acute electricity problem. In Port- au- Prince, Haiti’s capital, the availability of electricity is very limited, and some regions of the country do not have electrical power at all. The average person in Haiti spends 281 days a year without electricity. The lack of electricity leads most businesses and those who can afford it to using generators to function. Our heart aches every time we must use a generator. The center is located in an area where we barely get 3 hours of electricity a day and it’s mostly during late hours. Sometimes the power doesn’t come on for days and that makes it extremely hard to consistently deliver our programs.
The issue we face is not one without solution but we need your help. We would like to leverage Haiti’s great natural wealth of sunshine to provide a clean, conscious and sustainable solution to this grave problem. We need your help to acquire an off grid solar system that will allow us to be consistent in delivering those needed programs to the people and put our heart at ease knowing that we are not adding to the degradation of the environment. For that, we would be forever grateful.
The impact of consistently delivering these programs would be immense. The people of Haiti are critically lagging in digital literacy and information technology. According to the World Bank, less than 5% of the population has access to a computer and even fewer are regular Internet users. Many students in Haiti are forced to gather under street lights to study and do homework at night and most use candles which are unsafe. The majority of Haitian citizens (56%) are under the age of 25 and they are being deprived of an opportunity to be viable contributors in today’s global economy or the local economy due to this lack of access. Your support can help provide reliable power to achieve an impact that we can see and one that the communities in Haiti can feel. Together we can raise and empower the next generation of Haitian leaders to create a better future.
Marli Lalanne Haiti Hope Ambassador.
“As a Hope Ambassador, I endeavor to provide for the advancement of our mission. Color of Hope’s efforts are aimed at cultivating our Haitian children’s potential to give Haiti a better future.This year, my goal is to address the critical issue of energy.”
– We thank you from the bottom of our heart for any donation and will share these tokens with you at the following levels:
$50 or more – Unity t-shirt
$100 or more – Choice of Unity t-shirt or Philosophy shirt plus wristband.
$250 or more – Unity t, philosophy, wrist band and a we remember Haiti t-shirt
$500 or more – complete set of our Save Haiti Bike Ride cycling outfit, 5th annual Save Haiti Bike Ride water bottle, wristband, and a choice of any of our T-shirts.
