Persistence and generosity prevail

Frandy Prince shot me a nervous glance. Sitting on the tarmac of the Port-au-Prince airport, we waited for our flight to take off on this early August morning. The young man and his three classmates, all displaced Haitian college students, were en route to Richmond

After 20 months of patience and persistence, the moment had at long last arrived. Initial funds had been raised. J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College acceptance letters had been granted. Student visas had been first refused, then appealed and eventually obtained. The only thing missing was Frandy's winning smile. We had just overcome an extraordinary ordeal, so why the furrowed brow?

Then it hit me — this was my friend's first time aboard an airplane. I chuckled and squeezed his hand as the plane climbed into the clouds and the Haitian coastline slowly faded out of view.

It took the worst natural disaster in recent history before I fully understood how fortunate I am as an American citizen and student.

On Jan. 12, 2010, I happened to be in Haiti when the tragic earthquake struck. At the time, I was volunteering as a French/Creole interpreter for a Richmond church group. As a firsthand witness to the widespread destruction and incalculable loss of human life, I returned to Richmond with a desire to provide meaningful assistance to the victims of this catastrophic seismic event.

With nearly all Haitian universities severely damaged or closed by the quake, continuing higher education had become a critical need. However, most international aid organizations were focused on addressing temporary needs such as food, shelter and medical support.

Recognizing the crucial need for educated leaders as part of Haiti's reconstruction, I searched for a way to help rebuild this "intellectual infrastructure." In my naiveté as a college freshman, I figured it would not be too difficult to bring a few displaced Haitian students to the U.S.

* * * * *

Almost two years later, that simple idea developed into a full-blown program known as the Hinche Scholars Project. I started by working with religious and civic officials in Haiti to identify several well-qualified students.

Family, friends and many in the Richmond community opened their wallets and gave generously upon hearing my proposal. When initial inquiries about admission of the students to several colleges proved impossible (student records were lost in the quake, the SAT is not offered in Haiti, etc.), I pressed on and refused to accept these difficulties.

My source of inspiration came directly from the students.

Staying in contact via Facebook and text-messaging, we encouraged each other to persevere.

At one point, even after J. Sargeant Reynolds accepted the students, their student visa requests were denied by the American embassy's consular section in Haiti. The rationale stemmed from a concern about potential flight risk given the students' lack of personal financial wealth. (Well-to-do Haitians obtain U.S. visas quite easily, although these are often the very same people who perpetuate Haiti's highly stratified social structure in which corruption is endemic.)

Typically, decisions by the U.S. consular officers are irreversible. So, upon hearing this news I was prepared to give up. Then I received an e-mail from Hinche Scholar Berry Riche. "Danny, I am not disappointed by this rejection. Remember if this process were easy it would not be worth doing."

Inspired by these words, I lobbied fiercely for a reconsideration of the visas. I explained that these students were selected due to their strong community ties and their commitment to return home. Less than a month before the start of classes, my efforts paid off and the visas were granted.

* * * * *

In August, I travelled to Haiti with Andy Thornton, one of the owners of LaDifference furniture store and a supporter of our project. We returned to Richmond with four displaced students who hail from the rural town of Hinche in Haiti's Central Plateau.

These two young men and two young women were each in university at Port-au-Prince when the quake hit and claimed the lives of their friends, family members and teachers.

Today, Frandy Prince, Suze Prince, Berry Riche and Lude Labieville are doing well in their English as a Second Language studies at J. Sargeant Reynolds. Next semester they hope to start classes in business administration, nursing, culinary arts and computer science.

Our journey began as an interview on the Bill Bevins radio show with stops along the way at NPR and the "Oprah Winfrey Show." Most recently, Style Weekly recognized me in its 2011 "Top 40 Under 40" issue.

While this selection is truly an honor, the Style article failed to mention that the achievements with this project are not mine alone. Rather, they represent the culmination of so much hard work, support and mentoring by numerous individuals in the Richmond community such as Ken and Gail Henshaw.

The Henshaws manage the I Have a Dream Foundation of Richmond (IHAD), a nonprofit dedicated to helping local students. IHAD serves as our 501(c)(3) organization.

Currently we do not have enough funding to sustain the project past May 2012. In other words, unless I can manage to raise $20,000 or more, the Hinche Scholars will be forced to return to Haiti.

The students hope to earn their associates degrees, which would require at least another year of studies at J. Sarge. Nevertheless, I am optimistic that the generosity of our Richmond community will prevail and that the students can continue for another year.

* * * * *

Sometimes I doubt the efficacy of my project given the scale of Haiti's reconstruction. How can four college students make a difference in a country with 80 percent unemployment, average income of $1 a day, and where nearly 250,000 died in an earthquake?

But then I think of newly elected Haitian President Michel Martelly, a charismatic former musician who won more than two-thirds of the vote in a March election.

Martelly once studied at a community college in Florida. Fluent in Creole, French, English and Spanish, this wildly popular president is now gaining accolades for his ability to connect both with his impoverished constituency as well as with the international community.

Additionally, I feel projects such as ours can help to implement sustainable change in Haiti.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti receives nearly $2.5 billion in foreign aid. People sometimes say that the Republic of Haiti is now the Republic of Nonprofits. I believe that the vicious cycle of aid dependency will never end unless Haitians themselves seize the reins of redevelopment. Yet a successful independence requires educated, honest and committed leadership.

There is an old Creole adage, "piti, piti, wazo fe nich li." Translated, this says that "little by little, the bird makes its nest." Although it is ambitious, and perhaps idealistic, the Hinche Scholars project is dedicated to helping rebuild Haiti, one college student at a time. With your help, this dream can become a reality.

In closing, I would like to briefly highlight the most pressing needs of the Hinche Scholars Project. Our primary concern is funding tuition expenses for the scholarships. In addition to financial contributions, we are always looking for in-kind donations such as food, clothing and gently used computers. Grocery store and Walmart gift cards are also helpful.

Finally, we would love to find new volunteers/host families who might be willing to help our students through tutoring, field trips and mentoring in general.