Rony Janvier
When I was young, I always had the feeling of being a humanist, of being someone who sympathized with the misery of others and able to provide support. I can’t say for sure, but this might have come from the fact that I was born in a country where basic services are not available for everyone or everywhere. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Americas. Education is not accessible to everyone.
I had a very difficult childhood; it was disturbed sometimes by family conflicts or by severe economic problems. At some point, I should have left school to go to work, but I chose to continue despite the difficulties. Because of economic problems, there were days when I went all day with nothing to eat. In the midst of these circumstances, God made me understand that training and education are the only options I have had to succeed in my life and my vision of helping others. Thus, I resisted the difficulties and finished with my basic education. Then I went on to study accounting and theology and took seminars on project management, customer service and human resources management. My professional experiences and training have given me the skills and experience I need to work at Church World Service.
In 2009, in order to realize my humanist dream, I was part of a group of young people who founded the association “Agape Théou Ministries.” Our goal was to work in education and training. At this time, I was working for a private company.
In 2012, CWS Haiti Country Representative Margot de Greef told me that Church World Service was going to open a position to hire a Program Officer. I began to do research on the mission of CWS. I realized that CWS would give me the opportunity to work with vulnerable groups, which was my personal goal, and also allow me to use my professional skills and knowledge.
I joined the CWS Haiti team in September of 2012. I worked as Program Officer and am now Program Director. My colleagues and I are working to guarantee the respect of children’s rights and the economic and technical strengthening of poor families.
I am proud to be able to help my people through Church World Service.
During these six years, I have spoken to groups of poor families whose lives were changed through our program. Today, those families can afford to pay school fees for their children. Economic empowerment, changes of attitudes, technical improvement and means to pay for medical fees and school fees are among the results we hear from families when we evaluate our programs.
Workers in Jean-Rabel in northwestern Haiti work on reconstructing an elementary school that was heavily damaged during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Photo: Paul Jeffrey / ACT Alliance
After Hurricane Matthew hit the southern part of the country in 2016, CWS repaired and rebuilt public schools in both Grand Anse and the Northwest. I am pleased that I could part of a good decision that allow thousands of children to have access to a safe place to learn.
Last year, during a trip with our partner Foods Resource Bank in the United States, I met groups of farmers and entrepreneurs. Their involvement in fundraising for the benefit of poor countries, especially Haiti, and their willingness to help the most vulnerable, touched and inspired me. If people who are not Haitian, are so dedicated to helping my country, how much more must I be prepared to do it?
Although Haiti is a country with many political and social problems, it is a very beautiful country. Our people are very hospitable. Recent disasters such as the earthquake of January 12, 2010 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016 have shown how resilient the people are in the way they recover from these disasters. In addition, Haitians were the first to help Haitians who were in need.
There is still a lot of work to be done in Haiti. I am proud to work alongside Haitians and our American and international supporters towards a better future for my country.
Rony Janvier is CWS’s Program Director in Haiti.