Simon Stands with Haiti

As you may know, I am a proud supporter of Locally Haiti. Formerly known as the Colorado Haiti Project, the organization has more than 30 years of history supporting locally led initiatives in rural Haiti.

I was introduced to Locally Haiti by my friend Susan Hatch (one of the winners of this year's Ted Lewis Award) and I have traveled twice to Petit Trou de Nippes.  The first time was in 2015. I went with my godson Zach Smith and our escort/guide was Don Snyder (former Board Chair). The main purpose of the trip was for Don to talk to various outlying villages about them assuming the maintenance for the water wells that had been built. Zach and I would accompany Don and while we understood little that was being said in Kreyol it was fascinating to see the communities and the grassroots democracy at work. Additionally,  I caught a stomach bug, almost drowned at the rocks by the sea and nearly had a heart attack during a route march up the hills led by Don. It was great.   

 The second trip was in 2019 going to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of and to be with the community for St. Paul’s day. That trip confirmed my admiration of the work of the local leadership and the support given by Locally Haiti.

Each year, Locally Haiti depends on Evening for Haiti, our major annual event, to fund important work in community health, education, agriculture and conservation, and girls' empowerment. This year, Haiti needs our support more than ever. Due to an increasingly tumultuous political situation in Port-au-Prince and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on health and food systems across the country, rural communities are suffering. Our current initiatives — focused on food security and the intersection of health and agriculture — are critical to the families of Petit Trou, but we need your help.

I hope you will join me in supporting this incredible organization by making a donation today and joining us for Evening for Haiti. Even if you aren’t able to contribute a financial gift, please consider attending the live-stream event. I’d love for you to learn more about the extraordinary Haitian leaders, health workers, farmers, families, and students supported through our work.

Evening for Haiti – Online Event
Sunday, April 25 at 5:00 pm MST
More Info: locallyhaiti.org/eveningforhaiti