It’s a lovely Sunday afternoon in northern Haiti. A strong, persuasive voice can be heard in a crowd of some forty people who listen attentively. The voice belongs to Gérald Auguste, a volunteer with the PCV-Haïti program, at a special general meeting of potters who are members of the Société coopérative pour le progrès (SOCOP) in Lory, in the northern part of the country. In the audience, men and women nod their heads in agreement. Gérald has identified SOCOP’s challenges and is proposing a solution that will help it restructure as well as improving the way it operates. The members have approved the creation of a committee focusing on the use of facilities and materials by the artisans, with the aim of making the artisan community accountable for respecting the workplace. In a week’s time, they will be voting on a new statute adapted to the country’s new laws and implementation of regulations for the internal management of the cooperative.
Gérald is a Haitian Canadian who was born and raised in Pétionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. With a father from Cap-Haïtien and a mother from Jacmel, he grew up in the capital and visited his grandparents in the north and southwest of the country. Sparked by a keen interest in culture and the society that surrounds it, he enrolled in the ethnology faculty at the University of Haiti, where he studied anthropology and Haitian sociology. His studies gave him a better understanding of the “Pearl of the Caribbean.”
After university, he was assigned to work in 10 of the country’s departments. One thing led to another, and he forged ties with officials at all levels of government, through his work with the most impoverished members of society. As he learned more about the injustices in his country, he used the knowledge he acquired in his life and at university to gain a greater understanding of the people so he could better guide them to adopt lifestyles to improve their quality of life. He is also involved in good governance. A staunch egalitarian who makes sure everyone is included, he is thorough in his search for solutions, and does so cheerfully and with integrity. He is determined to improve the lives of his fellow Haitians and will spare no effort to do so.
Canadian cooperation is very important for Haiti, making it possible to provide governance training to managers at the institutional level, as well as training professionals in various fields. “This cooperation must continue: we need it. We are short of managers, we lack new technologies, we’re not well enough equipped or we don’t have the expertise. Cooperation provides training and advice. I think it’s highly beneficial for Haitians.”
PCV-Haïti provides this support in the country, and Gérald’s involvement brings undeniable added value to the program. Not only is he familiar with the lay of the land, he also knows its people and culture and can integrate easily. He is now working with a voodoo association near Cap-Haïtien, which is striving for greater openness so it can demystify some of its rites. ‘This is the first time I’m officially working with a mystical, initiatory voodoo structure so I can understand some of the mysteries, and they’re very comfortable having me around. Ever since I arrived, I’ve felt like a member of the temple. They don’t perceive me as a threat.” That’s Gérald in a nutshell: adaptable and inspiring trust so he can better help people. We wish him continued success in his endeavours.
Le programme de coopération volontaire (PCV) is a consortium of four non-profit organizations; World University Services Canada (WUSC), CECI, Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie (FPGL) and Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO).
