This campaign was to help raise the funds needed to purchase a 13,000 sq. ft. piece of land on which a leadership & community development center will be built for the residents of the island of La Gonave. We raised more than $35,000 to prepare and purchase the land for the center, including $15,000 on Global Giving. Thank you to everyone who supported this project!
The residents of La Gonave are isolated and lack access to many basic services. Local authorities receive very little support from the central government. Even in a country full of charities and NGOs, there are few present on what is Haiti's largest island. Educational opportunities on La Gonave end after high school, and many are forced to quit before that to help their families economically. La Gonave is so isolated and ignored that it is up to the local population to develop the island.
Local solutions implemented by local leaders is the most sustainable approach to addressing poverty and developing La Gonave long-term. But those leaders need to be invested in. They need training in leadership and management and they need a place to plan and organize. This project will provide local authorities and communities from across the island with a training facility and meeting space, to learn, organize, and implement community-led initiatives that improve quality of life on La Gonave.
The leadership & community development center and the .3 acre of land it sits on will be a permanent resource for La Gonave. It will be owned by our local partner and used by communities and their leaders for years to come, as a teaching, meeting, and project implementation space. It will be a symbol of local leadership and change for the island. The project is also a key step in achieving our goal of making La Gonave a hub of successful, community-led development and an example for the world.
