Effectiv | Haiti

Why Haiti?

The World Bank defines Haiti as not only the poorest country in the Americas but also the poorest country in the world. This position comes largely from historical marginalization, political strife, and disaster vulnerability

Why Education?

According to residents of Layaye, a rural village in Haiti which we're closely connected to, education is the most pressing concern.Without their high school, residents are forced to leave families and farms and travel to the overcrowded, highly vulnerable, and often violent major cities. Instead, we help provide a local, affordable, and high quality education experience that otherwise would not be possible. Similar to the work Effectiv does on a daily basis, education helps build sustainable communities.

While it seems worlds away, Haiti is only 600 miles off the Florida coast. To further illustrate the staggering conditions:

- 80% live on less than $2 a day, 50% on a $1 or less

- 80% of the 10 million Haitians are Catholic

- Infant mortality rate in Haiti is 55 per 1000 vs 6 in USA

- Families in Layaye, Haiti, with whom Effectiv partners, live together in small huts with no access to clean water nor sanitary systems

Layaye residents live a spiritual, happy life with strong family values. Factors beyond their control limit their capacity to live the lives they strive for, especially lack of access to affordable education.

Sustaining Haiti High Schools (SHHS) directly supports Layaye's mission for education through two initiatives. First, our SHHS Scholarship is awarded to one Haitian student per year who expresses a distinct desire of furthering their education and improving their community. The gift helps to cover annual expenditures related to the student's living and educational needs. The 2018 Awardee, Elisson Adrien, is a Layaye native ambitiously pursuing his medical degree, who otherwise would not have the means to do so.

In addition to this scholarship, SHHS helps support the family of John McGreevy. Son of Effectiv founder Bob McGreevy, John is a PhD candidate in Integrative Conservation and Anthropology. Together with his wife Roxana and young son Bennett, the family's mission is to better understand and respond to disasters that are all too common in Haiti.

"Medical school is very challenging. The challenges come in different shapes and forms. In poor countries where there is not much infrastructure the problems are more prevalent and noticeable. One of the biggest burdens for me to study medicine in Haiti is financial. The situation has been getting worst since the last December when tuition was increased by 25%. But last month I saw the worst yet with country-wide riots that led to an increase in the price of everything from drinking water to food, transportation, rent, and medical school materials to name a few. Despite my ambitions and willingness to pursue my medical education, these situations create uncertainties on where to get the funds to continue.

Getting an EffectivEnergy Scholarship to cover some of my expenses will be a blessing from God to help me reach my goal. That will allow me to be able to pay for transportation every day rather than walking to class on some days which led to being late in class sometimes. It will help me to stay more focus on my studies rather than being worried about finances all the time. Above all, this scholarship will change my life and the life of many that I plan to serve with my medical degree in Layaye, Haiti, and the world."

EffectivEnergy reduces energy consumption in order to save customers money, help the environment, and improve the world we hand to the next generation. While that would be enough for most of us, Bob McGreevy and his Effectiv team continually extend their influence beyond our nation’s borders. Since 2016, they have helped support a young family (John, Roxana, and Benny) in their mission to partner with local groups in rural Haiti and collaboratively work towards a brighter future.

John was volunteering in Haiti when the earthquake of 2010 devastated the capital city. He has since dedicated himself to improve understanding of, preparation for, and adaptation to social-ecological disasters. His wife, Roxana, works from a background in public health, received a master’s degree in Ministry, and is most passionate about improving lives of underprivileged children. This team is made complete by their adventurous little one-year-old, Bennett.

Over the past year, their family moved to rural Haiti, where John works with mountain farmers to research hurricane and drought vulnerability. The generosity of EffectivEnergy made it possible for Roxana and Benny to join John during Benny’s first year of life as they together navigated the challenges of adapting to a new way of living. Together, they volunteer at multiple non-profits and locally run community groups.

For more photos and stories about the EffectivEnergy-supported family, visit McGreevyHaiti.com.