Take a moment to think about how you define community. Is it defined by your neighbors? Is it your co-workers, relatives or social media acquaintances? Is it those we count on for basic services - the doctors, teachers, postal workers, and garbage collectors? Is it the highway you drive on, or the house you live in. Or is it shared experiences, hopes and dreams?
Now consider that in many parts of Haiti, community is not defined by what people share, but more by what they lack.
After the 2010 earthquake, the community of people we serve in the neighborhood of Delmas 32 were defined by homelessness. They lived in a tent city a stone's throw away from where they had lived the day before the disaster. J/P HRO helped relocate all families back into safe and durable homes in their neighborhood and we continue to serve the same community in a new location.
At J/P HRO, we're about supporting stronger communities in Haiti. That sounds great, but what does that really look like? It looks like ensuring access to basic services that should be every human being's basic right. Everyone deserves medical care, housing, education, jobs and job training. We must listen closely and respond quickly to the needs of those we work with. Most of all, it means allowing Haitians to shape our mission instead of the other way around.
The earthquake uncovered another larger disaster in Haiti: Poverty. What is self-evident across the world is that poverty prevents sustainable growth. Haiti and the communities we serve are ready to grow. With your support, they won't just grow, they will thrive.
When natural disasters threaten the livelihood or well-being of communities where our ships sail or where our employees live, we reach out to help. Employees who experience natural disasters and personal crises may receive relief and assistance through the Royal Caribbean Crew and Employee Disaster Relief Fund administered by The Miami Foundation.
For example, following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, our disaster relief fund assisted Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. members and their families who were living in the affected areas. Our ships visiting Labadee, our private destination in Haiti, also transported, and continue to transport supplies those affected.
LIDÈ is an educational initiative that uses the arts and literacy to build resiliency and empower at-risk adolescent girls in rural Haiti, helping them to transition into academic or vocational education.
Established by Author Holiday Reinhorn, Actor Rainn Wilson and Executive Director Dr. Kathryn Adams in response to the challenges faced by girls that were made visible in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, LIDÈ programs seek to uplift young women and girls who have been denied equal access to education. LIDÈ trains and employs Haitian teachers and youth program facilitators, and collaborates with grassroots organizations and schools so that programs derive from local needs, strengthen local capacity, and foster the community support girls need to begin their educational journeys. The LIDÈ Foundation believes that arts in education inspires personal empowerment, resilience and self-efficacy.
