Cary, N.C. – Hope for Haiti Foundation (HFHF), a Raleigh, N.C.-based nonprofit organization that operates educational, spiritual, medical and community development programs in rural Haiti, has named Lydia Dant as its new Executive Director. The Executive Director is the first full-time paid staff member that Hope for Haiti Foundation has hired in the United States, marking an important advancement for the organization.
The foundation has approximately 60 paid staff members in Haiti, which helps create jobs for nurses, teachers and other skilled professionals in rural Haiti, but until now, Hope for Haiti Foundation has relied on a volunteer staff for all of its U.S. operations.
“This is a huge step for us as an organization, and we are so excited to have Lydia in this role,” said Jean Elade Eloi, Hope for Haiti Foundation founder. “We reached a point where hiring a full-time staff member was not only necessary, but possible. Having an Executive Director will allow us to focus on securing grants and other funding, develop strategic community and corporate partnerships and investigate ways to grow as an organization in both the U.S. and on the ground in Haiti.”
Dant has a Master’s in Public Health from Boston University and was instrumental in developing many of Hope for Haiti Foundation’s medical programs. She first got connected to HFHF as part of a research project for her master’s degree, when she traveled through the nine sections of Bainet, Haiti, surveying community members about their greatest medical needs.
“I am so excited to join Hope for Haiti Foundation full-time, and I look forward to taking on the challenges of this role,” said Dant. “I fell in love with Hope for Haiti Foundation’s work when I first went to Haiti in 2008, and being involved with HFHF as the public health director for the last two years has been so fulfilling. I’m honored to have the opportunity to help the foundation grow as the first U.S.-based staff member.”
Originally from Westford, Massachusetts, Dant earned an undergraduate degree from Calvin College before attending Boston University. Most recently, Dant has been living in Ft. Myers, Florida, where she and her husband, Brian, work at Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, a nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping people with resources and skills to reduce hunger and improve the lives of the poor. The Dants are in the process of relocating to North Carolina, where Lydia will begin her role as Executive Director in January 2011.
“I am confident that Lydia has the heart for international development, the passion for Haiti and the skill set to succeed in this role and help Hope for Haiti Foundation achieve our short- and long-term goals,” said Eloi. “Her background in public health has already been instrumental in helping us understand the medical needs in Haiti and implementing maternal and community health programs. I look forward to seeing the way she helps us further develop these areas, as well as our educational, spiritual and community initiatives.”
Hope for Haiti Foundation, which works in the rural areas of the Southeast Department of Haiti, was founded in 1999, and for the last decade, has relied on a nationwide network of skilled volunteers to implement its programs. With the help of these volunteers, HFHF has built a school, which offers kindergarten through 10th grade, a full-time medical clinic and other public health programs, and several community development projects such as a church, radio station and soccer league. Hope for Haiti Foundation has also installed solar panels in the town of Zorange, creating a source of sustainable energy, which has allowed for the creation of a computer lab – with internet – in the school.
“We are amazed at what we’ve accomplished during the last decade with the help of our dedicated volunteers,” said Eloi, who grew up in Zorange, Haiti before coming to the United States with his mother. “I am proud to be able to say that for the last 10 years, all of our funding has gone straight to programs and salaries in Haiti, but I’m also excited for the opportunity to take the next and necessary step forward here in the U.S.”
Because of the infrastructural challenges in Haiti, rural areas like Zorange often lack basic resources like schools, clean water and medical care. Providing these resources helps reduce urban overcrowding, preserve families and communities as children can stay home and receive an education and provide opportunities for community-owned, sustainable development. As Hope for Haiti Foundation grows, the organization hopes to replicate the model already established in Zorange in other communities throughout the southeastern part of Haiti. HFHF is currently raising money to build a hospital in the city of Bainet, which will be the only hospital in the region that can perform a surgery.
