“Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best leaders, when the work is done, the task accomplished, the people will say "We have done this ourselves".”
There is a community of dedicated people in the U.S. and abroad who believe in the promise of a self-sufficient Haïti.
We created Community2Community (C2C), a non-profit service
organization, to give these individuals a place to come together and
share their expertise in a variety of areas – from education to medicine
and from carpentry to communications – toward C2C’s goal of
establishing lasting change in Haïti, and ultimately, other communities
ravaged by chaos.
There are also communities of resilient, hard-working people within
Haïti. They are humble people who are not looking for handouts, but
rather for the tools to create change and provide an opportunity to
experience the basic life essentials of good health, a roof over their
heads, and meals for their families. These fundamental necessities
should not be met solely at special occasions, but rather incorporated
as a normal routine of life. They hold onto the hope of an education for
their children and a future of fulfillment for their sacrifices.
First Stop: Petit Goâve, Haïti
The work has already begun. C2C has a team on the ground in Haïti
that is supporting current efforts on the local level in the coastal
town of Petit Goâve, just 42 miles from Port-au-Prince. Our goal is to
see the community’s vision realized and our mission accomplished.
Vision: To support international communities toward self-sufficiency and economic stability.
Mission:
To serve as an umbrella organization working and collaborating with
individuals, agencies and other organizations to facilitate broad-based
initiatives that mobilize intellectual, financial, and material
resources to recovering international communities in a sustained effort
to support their transformation into healthier, sustainable,
self-sufficient communities. So says the proverb, “Give a man a fish and
you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he will eat for a
life time.”
This is the essence of C2C building self-sufficient communities by working with
the community –– so that hopes become realities and the cycle reaffirms
itself. We believe our unique model provides a way to reach beyond the
pleas and the headlines, as well as the occasional miracle, to result in
rebuilding neighborhoods, restoring identity and rejuvenating the
spirit. It only starts with Haïti.