At the age of 19, Gerry R. L. Delaquis left his native Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, for the United States. He created a new life for himself in New York City, driving a taxi and working as a tool machinist. He then decided to join the U.S. Army, where he served for 23 years. Several decades went by but Gerry never forgot the people of Haiti and the poverty he had witnessed there as a child.
After he retired from the army and settled in Louisville, Kentucky, Gerry began supporting non-profit organizations working to alleviate poverty in Haiti. However, he was never satisfied with the results.
“I always felt that there was too much bureaucracy, or that the logistics were too complicated and that the projects didn’t have enough of an impact,” he says.
So, in 1997, Gerry decided to take matters into his own hands. He started his own non-profit organization, the Light for All Corporation (LIFA). LIFA strives to provide an education for children living in rural Haiti. The organization’s first project involved supporting one school with 300 students. Today, LIFA supports six schools, benefiting over 2500 children.
At the core of LIFA’s work is promoting education and ensuring that children who live in extreme circumstances are given a fair chance to get an education. Many schools, often miles away from students’ homes, are run-down and in desperate need of repair. LIFA identifies existing schools in need and supports the improvement of their facilities and services. The organization then works with the communities to create microbusinesses and microloans designed to benefit the schools and make them sustainable.
As is usually the case in poor countries like Haiti, the available resources are not sufficient to meet the basic requirements of the overall education system. “We don’t have enough resources to help all of the schools in need,” says Gerry. “So deciding which schools we are going to work with is often a painful choice for us to make.”
Despite the limited financial resources, Gerry’s commitment is unwavering. He steadfastly works to secure new grants to support schools in Haiti and hopes to increase the scope of the organization by adding projects that will improve irrigation and promote sustainable agriculture in the country.
Gerry believes that educating the rural poor is the first and most effective step in the struggle to break the cycle of poverty.
“If we want to improve the situation in Haiti, working to cultivate future generations is crucial,” says Gerry. “Education will lead to better agricultural practices, improved sanitation and less migration to shantytowns in the big cities.”
As a child, Gerry shadowed his mother, an activist, as she worked to alleviate poverty and promote gender equality in Haiti; he credits her as his guiding light in founding LIFA. “She taught me to respect everyone,” he says. “She has been an inspiration.”
