5th Haiti Funders Conference
JUNE 12-14, 2023
Washington, D.C.
June 12-14, 2023
Kellogg Conference Hotel
at Gallaudet University
800 Florida Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
Meeting this Moment
Amid deepening crises and ballooning humanitarian need, the 5th Haiti Funders Conference brought investors, funders, donors, diaspora and nonprofit leaders and other Haiti stakeholders together to strategize about how to meet this moment and best support the Haitian people and Haitian-led forces for change.
Recognizing that the unsustainable situation in Haiti today presents an opportunity, the conference embraced the theme that change must happen and philanthropy can play a pivotal role in Haiti’s resurgence with strategic investments now.
180 attendees representing 123 organizations were able to participate in the event, which featured 57 speakers (70% of whom are Haitian) leading and facilitating 22 plenary and breakout sessions and several keynote addresses.
Our discussions were grounded in the difficulties of the current situation and informed by the experience and expertise of our speakers, but the focus of the program was not on how to adapt to or emerge from the current crisis.
Rather, our focus was on how philanthropy and development assistance can better address the root causes of Haiti’s crises and achieve better results than we have in the past. We focused on learning the lessons of what has not worked in the past and studying successful models of partners working with communities to outpace poverty.
Much development work is focused on the WHAT - sectors and services. This conference focused on the HOW - strategies and approaches that can apply across sectors to maximize the impact of our work.
One speaker aptly summed up the feeling overall:
“Two words came out in every conversation here: collaboration and partnership. Because we have a duty to do better than in the past and our collective brain here is powerful. We can do better than what the world is doing now in Haiti.”
Conference Program
-
Monday, June 12, 2023
Welcome Dinner
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm -
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Conference sessions
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Evening reception -
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Conference sessions
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Day One - June 12
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm Ongoing Arrivals & Registration
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Welcome Reception
7:00 pm Welcome Remarks
Pierre Andre Noel - Executive Director, Haiti Development Institute
Karen Ansara - Co-Founder/Fund Advisor, Ansara Family Fund at the Boston Foundation
7:30 pm Dinner and Performance
Fritz Orvil - Saxophonist
8:15 pm Poetry Reading
Danielle Legros Georges - Professor of Creative Writing, Lesley University
Day Two - June 13
7:00 am Ongoing Arrivals & Registration
7:00 am - 8:30 am Networking Breakfast
PLENARY
9:05 am – 9:15 am Welcome
Keynote: Honorable Michele Pierre-Louis, President, FOKAL
The Country Situation: How Can Philanthropy Contribute to the Way Forward?
Panel Discussion —Development and Humanitarian Assistance in Haiti Have Consistently Failed. How Can We Shift Course?
Honorable Michele Pierre-Louis, President, FOKAL
Lorraine Mangones, Executive Director, FOKAL
Dana Francois, Program Officer for Family Economic Security Haïti, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Andre Prospery Raymond, Country Director, DKH/LWF/NCA
- B R E A K -
CONCURRENT SESSIONS Thematic Salons/Workshops
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
AM1-Session 1 —Thinking Differently: Exploring Viable Opportunities Where Investment Can Be Transformative Right Now
Facilitators: Patrick Dessources, Executive Director, Centre d'Appui et de Services aux Entreprises Locales et Internationales (CASELI)
Gaston Jean, Founder, Association Originaire de Grand Plaine
AM1 Session 2—Youth and Civic Engagement - How can we support viable youth opportunities and create a vision of the future for the next generation?
Facilitators: Johnny Celestin, Deputy Director, Mayor's Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE), Chair of Konbit for Haiti and member of FOHPDD
Louino ROBILLARD, Program Director, Rasin Devlopman
AM1 Session 3—Localization, Capacity Building, Systems Change: What Do These Look Like and How Do I Incorporate Them in My Work?
Facilitators: Pierre Andre Noel, Executive Director, Haiti Development Institute
Rebecca Obounou, Network Engagement Officer, NEID Global
AM1 Session 4—Propelling Higher Education in Haiti
Facilitators: Lorraine Mangones, FOKAL
Conor Bohan, HELP
Gael Herve Pressoir, Doyen de la Faculté des Sciences de l'Agriculture et de l'Environnement, Université Quisqueya
AM1 Session 5— Prioritizing Emotional, Spiritual, Mental Health and Well-Being Practices and Initiatives in Haiti
Facilitators: Emie Michaud Weinstock, Board Member, Haiti Development Institute
Régine Desulmé Polynice, Co-Founder, Caribbean Job Bank
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Networking Lunch
PLENARY
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Panel Discussion—Understanding the Donor Experience - Feedback and Insights from Donors
Karen Ansara, Co-Founder/Fund Advisor, Ansara Family Fund at the Boston Foundation
Pierre Imbert, Ayiti Community Trust
Bennett Rathbun, Program Officer for International Philanthropy, Pilot House Philanthropy
Jennifer Oakley, Program Partner, Imago Dei Fund
CONCURRENT SESSIONS Sector Salons
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
PM1 Session 1 —Education
Facilitator: Linda Thelemaque, Chief Program Officer, Hope for Haiti
PM1 Session 2 —Health Care: Health System Strengthening
Facilitators: Jocelyn Bresnahan, President & CEO, Saint Rock Haiti Foundation
Gerard Georges, Director Of Architecture, Build Health International
PM1 Session 3—Agriculture and Agroecology
Facilitators: Reginald Cean, Executive Director, Association Zanmi Agrikol
Steve Brescia, Executive Director, Groundswell International
PM1 Session 4— Water and Sanitation
Facilitators: Olivier David, Haiti Country Director, Helvetas Haiti
Christian Steiner, CEO, Helvetas USA
PM1 Session 5—Cultural Heritage and Arts
Facilitators: Veronika Chatelain, Senior Program Officer, Open Society Foundations
Charles Jean Pierre, Artist, Charles Philippe Jean Pierre Atelier d'Art
- B R E A K -
PLENARY
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Panel Discussion—Beyond Grants: Exploring Tools for Diversified Philanthropy And How They Can Work in Haiti - Impact-First Investing, DIB, PRI, Recoverable Grants
Jean-Emmanuel Desmornes, Discovery Officer, IDB Lab, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
Amie Patel, Partner, Elevar Equity
Bennett Rathbun, Program Officer for International Philanthropy, Pilot House Philanthropy
Jay Dunn, Executive Director, Dunn Family Charitable Foundation / DF Impact Capital
Dana François, Program Officer for Family Economic Security Haïti, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
4:45 pm – 5:30 pm
Panel Discussion—Unpacking Haiti Now: Insights on Current Events and the Context.
Kesner Pharel, Managing Owner, Group Croissance
Régine Desulmé Polynice, Co-Founder, Caribbean Job Bank
Emmanuela Douyon, Founder, POLICITÉ
Louis-Henri Mars, Executive Director, Lakou Lapè
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Networking Reception
Day Three - June 14
7:00 am - 8:30 am Networking Breakfast
8:45 am – 8:50 am Welcome and Reflection
Pierre Andre Noel, Executive Director, Haiti Development Institute
Yvens Rumbold, Executive Director, Ayiti Demen
PLENARY
8:50 am - 9:45 am
Panel Discussion—Leveraging Collaboration and Partnership for Impact (Kolektif Arcadins, Haiti Food Systems Alliance, Model School Network)
Dana François, Program Officer for Family Economic Security Haïti, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Rob Johnson, CEO, Acceso
Carolyn Mellin, Managing Director, Summits Education
Amy Bracken, Communications Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Pierre Andre Noel, Executive Director, Haiti Development Institute
CONCURRENT SESSIONS
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
AM2 Session 1—Impact Investing
Facilitators: Jamie McInerney, Principal, CrossBoundary
Laurent Dalencour, Senior Investment Manager, OGEF / FDI (Fonds de Développement Industriel)
AM2 Session 2—Women and Girls Empowerment
Facilitator: Carine Jocelyn, Founder/Managing Director, The Haitian Women's Collective
AM2 Session 3—Public/Private Partnerships – Are They Possible Now?
Facilitators: Kesner Pharel, Managing Owner, Group Croissance
Enomy Germain, CEO, ProEco Haiti
AM2 Session 4—Community and Civic Engagement
Facilitators: Job Joseph, Director of Mobilization, Haiti Response Coalition
Francois Pierre-Louis, Haiti Consultant, Faith In Action
Daniel TILLIAS, Co-Founder, SAKALA
AM2 Session 5—Effective Funding of Advocacy
Facilitators: Brian Concannon, Executive Director, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)
Gilbert Saint Jean, Interdisciplinary Research Development Consultant, Providentia Maarifa Consultants
- B R E A K -
PLENARY
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Panel Discussion—Disaster Mitigation and Response: Better Preparedness, Better Response
Alex Gray, Head of International Funds, Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Jessica Hsu, Anthropologist/Researcher & Solidarity Activist, Independent Haiti-based
Etzer Emile, CEO, Haiti Efficace
Louino ROBILLARD, Program Director, Rasin Devlopman
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm—Networking Lunch
PLENARY
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Panel Discussion—Inspiring & Organizing More Effective Philanthropy from the Diaspora
Ariel Dominique, Executive Director, Haitian American Foundation for Democracy (HAFFD)
Tamara Beliard, CFO/Principal, Fatima Group
Vanessa Joseph, City of North Miami City Clerk, City of North Miami
Regine Rene Labrousse, Founder & CEO, Replenish 509
- B R E A K -
3:00 pm - 3:15 pm
Keynote—Harry Dumay, President, College of Our Lady of the Elms
How Philanthropy Can Serve to Deliver Systemic Impact for Higher Education in Haiti
3:15 pm - 4:00 pm
Closing-Forward Together—A Call To Action
Honorable Michele Pierre-Louis, President, FOKAL
Johnny Celestin, Deputy Director, Mayor's Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE), Chair of Konbit for Haiti and member of FOHPDD
Reginald Cean, Program Director, Haiti Development Institute
Pierre Imbert, Ayiti Community Trust
