HISTORY

The end of the 70’s to the early 80’s gave birth to the regional associations within the Haitian Communities in New York, New Jersey and Montreal, Canada. This nationalist initiative is routed in the political events that took place in Haiti, which would later cause the downfall of Duvalier in February of 1986. These regional associations have always aimed at gathering funds to help launch or initiate local projects in cities, communities and villages of their members. Needless to say, that their efforts merit appreciation.

FORMING A FEDERATION

During the years 1984 and 1985, in Brooklyn, New York, the late Leonville Leblanc, a native from the northwestern part of Haiti, witnessed how difficult it was for organizations to gather funds although they were still motivated by a feeling of nationalism. Mr. Leblanc met with leaders from various regional associations such as, L’Alliance Gonaivienne and Solidarite Jacmelienne to contemplate the creation of a federation. It would be 10 years, after Leblanc’s death, that another countryman, named Francois-Marie Michael, host of the Radio Sanba Show in Brooklyn brought back the initiative of creating the federation.

During the months of October and November 1995, Michel gathered on several occasions, 43 regional associations at the Consulate of Haiti in New York City. He then collected information pertaining to these organizations respective projects in Haiti, the common problems and obstacles encountered. Michel succeeded in organizing the first congress of the regional associations on December 3, 1995 at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York. The decision was taken by these 43 regional associations to work together to create a federation of Haitian regional associations.

The first meeting that followed this summit, the 43 regional associations established the provisional or temporary structures, such as Press Committee and the Bylaws committee whose task was to insure that the intended goal was achieved. For a little more than three years, they worked diligently with courage and determination, despite some occasional challenges. At last, on April 18, 1999, the Federation for Haitian Regional Associations Abroad (FARHE) was inaugurated in Brooklyn, with 39 associations as members. The Federation is composed of three entities that are interrelated: The Coordinating Committee, the Board of Trustees and the General Assembly. The coordinating committee is represented by a member from each department of Haiti.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF FARHE?

The Federation was created to serve the Haitian community abroad with perspectives relating to short, intermediate or long term issues:

• To strengthen the Haitian Associations which are already functioning abroad.

• To encourage the birth of other Haitian regional associations and help them with their structure

• To coordinate the activities and maintain the resources of all regional associations abroad

• To solicit, collect, and receive goods and services from any and all people/organizations as well as all humanitarian establishments situated abroad

• To aid, as long as resources permit, all members of the federation whose particular region in Haiti would be hit by any natural disaster

• To bridge all member-associations with all people/organizations and Haitian establishments situated abroad

• To invest and aid member-associations to invest in Haiti as well as abroad

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOCIAL-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF HAITI

The Federation has been established to serve the regional association and help them to further blossom. Its primary goal, however, is to contribute to the social and economic development of Haiti. It is quite evident that our native soil continues to drown in its chronic sub-development while its people incessantly fight to gain the bare essential of life. At the start of this third millennium, one cannot be content with simply criticizing the political trends; after all the Haitian government cannot do it all.

Thus, all Haitians living home or abroad, who are determined to lead their native land to another sphere, must come together to establish solid and sound plans to bring about progress. In general the hometown associations contribute in three areas: education, healthcare and urbanism. They must also design initiatives that will relate to the big problems of Haiti, such as energy, environmental and infrastructure. In this aspect, the Federation started in November 2008 a pilot reforestation program in two towns, LaVallee de Jacmel in the Southeast and Chambellan in the “Grand’anse”, which it plans to duplicate in the other departments in the next 10 years. In this perspective, FARHE begins to contribute to the social and economic development of the Republic of Haiti.