Three core values instilled on a daily basis at Haiti Outreach are: Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency.
We ensure that the communities we engage are committed to taking responsibility and ownership for the management of their well after the inauguration ceremony has taken place. These ideals, however, would not be very impactful if we did not instill them in our employees too.
When we hire new employees to develop the communities (called Animators), they undergo a 3-month training before they are ready to lead in the field. This on-boarding program has been refined over the course of 18 years and is facilitated by the Director of Community Development, Mr. Rogé Michel.
It consists of two modules, divided into sequential units that allow the student leaders to achieve the learning objectives and acquire the necessary skills to succeed in the field. The first module outlines the theory of our work which encapsulates the values and philosophies we hold in esteem. During the first phase of training, our new incumbents are equipped with a myriad of advice, our *FRAPE model, and tools to guide a community toward taking ownership of their own development.
The objective is to equip the animators with the skills to build the capacity and decision-making abilities of the community leadership committee to create a responsible and independent community. Several participatory methods of teaching and learning are used to cover the different units of the module such as: interactive role playing, small group discussions, case presentations, group work, and review sessions. The focus is specifically on listening, identifying, guiding and supporting vulnerable communities.
Through this training, the animators learn how to develop the community leaders’ knowledge in the areas of sanitation practices, management of their well, and conflict resolution strategies. This method of training the leadership communities has proven to increase their self-confidence and helped ensure greater ownership and sustained maintenance of the wells long-term.
At the end of each week, the student leaders are given a questionnaire to assess how well the learning objectives have been met.
In the second phase, new animators do an internship in the field under supervision, where they have an opportunity to put their new learning into practice. The internship is concluded with a final evaluation, and those who pass are given the title as a group Animator and qualify for an employment contract.
The intention of this training is to trigger a positive change in the mentality of the community; wherein the people are given the tools to collectively solve their own problems and take ownership for the development of their own country.
The ultimate goal is not to respond to a specific need in a community, but to empower each individual so that each person can take personal responsibility and be accountable to his/her own actions. We believe that this training model is an essential component to the long-term sustained success of our efforts. Many NGOs can build a well, but without properly equipping the people to manage it, there is very little hope for long-term sustainability.
This is what sets Haiti Outreach apart from other organizations.
*FRAPE is a Creole acronym that classifies the status of a well. The letters stand for: Functional, Responsibly Managed, Adequate Sanitation, Potable, (E) Inspected (Enspekte in Creole)
