Help Isaac Rebuild: Disaster Haiti

In 2013, I met a young man in Jeremie, Haiti named Isaac Eliassaint. I was impressed by his demeanor and warm personality, but after I learned that Isaac had taught himself English from listening to pop music and reading a copy of the bible, I was completely blown away! Isaac and I became friends, and we have stayed in touch for the past 3+ years.
 

Four weeks ago, Hurricane Matthew hit South Haiti, killing hundreds of people, if not thousands, and leaving a wake of brutal destruction. The city of Jeremie was the area hit the hardest. Aid organizations estimate that Hurricane Matthew leveled 99% of all homes in the region, leaving tens of thousands of families displaced and without food or shelter.

When news of the destruction broke, I immediately wrote to Isaac, fearing the worst. A few weeks later, I got a reply and was relieved to discover that he and his family were able to wait out the storm at a shelter. Once they were able to leave safely they found that their home and neighborhood had been destroyed. This fundraiser is to crowdfund the ~$3,000 that Isaac needs to rebuild his family's home and replace essential possessions lost in the storm.  Below are photographs of Isaac's home and neighborhood.




More on Isaac:

I met Isaac because he was the school president of a program in Jeremie that I worked with to build a soccer field in 2013. I was immediately struck by Isaac's natural leadership ability and the way that his peers respected him. Throughout the project and my multiple visits to Jeremie, I got to know Isaac and learned of his incredible potential and personal ambitions. We became friends in large part to his witty sense of humor and kindness. Over the years we have kept in touch. And this past December, in 2015, I reconnected with him while I was in Port-au-Prince.

 

Isaac (now 24 years old) was born in Beaumont, a small village in southern Haiti. He grew up in nearby Jeremie with his 3 little sisters. This region is considered to be the poorest in Haiti, and thus one of the poorest regions in the Western Hemisphere. Yet, Isaac grew up excelling in school and with bold ambitions to be an entrepreneur and business leader that helps to build a stronger Haiti, goals that he is still passionately pursuing today. Last spring Isaac finished his college program at the University of the Nouvelle Grand'Anse, where he studied international business administration. At UNOGA, Isaac did not just complete his program, he excelled as one of the top students in the course. He did so well that he was invited this past summer to visit Purdue University to partake in a special internship program in Indiana. Isaac had a great experience and returned to Haiti in September to continue with his studies.



If this page reaches its fundraising goal, Isaac will be able to fund the reconstruction of his family's home and have some resources to help his parents, little sisters, and aunt get back on their feet. There are of course many great organizations on the ground in Jeremie doing good work, and I hope that this disaster relief effort and reconstruction will be informed by the hard lessons learned during the Haitian earthquake relief in 2010; however, Isaac is my friend and I know that with a little bit of capital, he can get his family back in a stable condition and focus on his studies and roll in the community as a young leader.

Administratively, the funds from this page will go to me, Jeffrey Reppucci. I will then send Isaac all the money raised via Western Union as he needs cash to buy supplies and rebuild. This is the only way I know of to get him the money directly and securely.  

Isaac and I are in touch frequently, so I will try to keep this page updated. Even if you do not donate to this fundraiser for Isaac, I encourage you to continue following the situation in Haiti and please support the relief and reconstruction efforts in the region.