Keeping Fond-des-Blancs Beautiful
The PKF Leadership/Community Service Development Program is at the core of the Patrick’s Kids Foundation (PKF) program to provide academic scholarships to the brightest students in Haiti—complemented by holistic social services, and help educate its scholars to become the leaders of tomorrow. PKF aspires to empower the next generation with the tools to help solve Haiti’s biggest challenges, by fostering teamwork, leadership, and community service.
As such, one of PKF’s major initiatives is to help develop the next generation of leaders in Haiti and empower them to become change agents in their community. As part of the scholar’s Leadership & Community Service Development project, PKF Scholars decided to tackle waste management and recycling in their community. To date, the PKF Scholars have procured two trash bins to place in the street they have adopted to keep clean, the students meet monthly to clean the street they adopted, and the student leadership committee meets monthly to discuss strategies to improve their community service project. In 2019, as part of the PKF Internship Program, the interns were tasked to think strategically about implementing a recycling component to their community service project. The tasks have been very productive. As a result, the Plastic Bank (https://plasticbank.com/our-impact/), an international organization that uses recyclable plastic as currency to help alleviate abject poverty in developing countries, has agreed to work with our PKF Scholars to help develop the recycling component of their community service and leadership development project. The program adopts a hands-on case study model to help PKF Scholars realize that they have the power to help effectuate positive change in their community.
Leadership/Community Service Development represents a vital component of the spectrum of initiatives, PKF offers to students in need. It is the first program to combine academic scholarship opportunities with comprehensive supportive services to help disenfranchised young adults ascend the economic ladder and become responsible citizens. The Scholars, as participants in the program, are known for their dedication to improving their community, and have faced extraordinary hardships, but are determined to improve their lives and the community they live in.
The program continued to be a success due to the interest and involvement of PKF Scholars, local business owners, residents, and community members. Last month the scholars continued with their beautification project, known as “Keep Fond-des-Blancs Beautiful.” The program was designed to enhance the quality of life in the Fond-des-Blancs area and continued to be well attended by scholars, parents, and community partners.
As we move forward, the scholars intend on reducing litter by taking a proactive approach to educating the public, improving personal responsibility, increasing community participation, and improving the appearance of Fond-des-Blancs among other things. It is a pleasure to share the video and pictures with you showing the amazing work the youths are doing in their community. Enjoy the pictures and the video.
