When we strengthen communities, we strengthen individuals. The Road to Hope invests in strong local communities - our schools in Mathone and Nordette include community centers. We also believe in bridging the distance between communities globally, which is why we partner with communities throughout the U.S. and Haiti to provide in-person and digital cultural experiences and outreach for students, community leaders, musicians and other interested parties.

Haiti is ranked 77 out of 79 in the 2012 Global Hunger Index and suffers from a dramatic income gap and an estimated 3.8 million Haitians, or 38 percent of the population, is food insecure. In addition to providing daily meals to the students in our schools, The Road to Hope has significant interest in sustainable agriculture development in the communities where we work. In both Mathone and Nordette, we’ve purchased land for agricultural growth. We anticipate building and providing technical support for a farming operation within the next year.

The majority of Haitians lack access to quality education. Primary school enrollment is roughly 85% and the average Haitian, age 25 years or older, has less than 5 years of schooling. Additionally, school fees can be prohibitively expensive for low-income families. For these reasons, education is at the heart of everything we do at The Road to Hope. We partner with schools in the U.S. and Haiti to provide cultural experiences for students. Our teams in Haiti and the U.S. have partnered together to build and improve schools in Mathone and Nordette, Haiti.

In Mathone, in addition to a school, we've built a kitchen, a well, and a basketball court. We provide supplies, uniforms, and hot lunches for 160 students on a daily basis and employ teachers, a principal, and staff for the school. In Nordette, the school includes three buildings with 9 classrooms, a cafeteria, a kitchen, and a multi purpose community room. We employ a full staff of teachers, a principal, and cooks for over 150 children and provide a daily hot meal for teachers, staff, and students. We also partner with schools in the U.S., like Colorado Academy to provide cultural experiences for students.

Research shows that regardless of socioeconomic status or school district, students (3rd graders) who participate in high-quality music programs score higher on reading and spelling tests. Founded by then 12 year old Zach Harris in partnership with the wonderful community of Mirebalais, the Haiti Youth Orchestra (HYO) provides the rare opportunity to the youth of Haiti to learn to play musical instruments. The Orchestra includes 80 members of the Mirebalais community. In 2017 HYO expanded to a second location in St. Martin.

Clean water and good sanitation are the basis of good health in any community. Less than half of Haitians in rural areas (like the communities The Road to Hope works) have access to clean water. Additionally, just 24% of all Haitians have access to a toilet. These conditions spread diseases, like cholera.

In both Nordette and Mathone we are working toward long-term sustainable sanitation solutions to serve the schools and communities. We have partnered with, S.O.I.L. Haiti, a Haitian owned non profit, to install composting toilets and educate the community regarding proper sanitation. We hope to install composting toilets in Mathone within the next year.

The country of Haiti reports some of the world’s worst health indicators. While Haiti has struggled with poor health outcomes for generations, the health system was further debilitated by the 2010 earthquake, which demolished 50 health centers, part of Haiti’s primary teaching hospital, and the Ministry of Health. There is just one hospital bed for every 10,000 people in Haiti, good health care is hard to find. The Road to Hope is currently assessing the medical needs of both communities and working with local health care NGO's to determine how and if we can be of assistance.