So why do you do what you do (in Haiti)?

"So why do you do what you do in Haiti?"

I get asked this question a lot.

The answer is a bit complicated.

The easy answer is that I basically stumbled into Haiti. Contact me and we can grab a coffee and talk about this. Or (self-promotion) you can watch a TEDx Talk I did a few years ago (click here)

The more difficult answer is not about Haiti but about the question "Why do you do what you do?"

At its core, I think it is a deep desire to do right in the world.

It's cliche but it's true for me: To make the world a better place, if even only for a few people.

For me, this begins in my home ... and then extends to my community and to the broader world.

What does it mean to make the world a better place? I think the idea of reciprocity (resipwosite in Haitian Creole) is central to this. Or, some would articulate it as "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." Recently, I took part in a Think Tank on Global Competencies at Harvard University and someone there changed the Golden Rule to the Platinum Rule: Do unto others as they would have you do unto them. I like that.

The UN developed the Sustainable Development Goals as another way to articulate how to make the world a better place. Countries around the world agreed to establish targets to achieve by 2030:

Source: http://www.who.int/gender-equity-rights/news/ger-in-sdg/en/

Our work in Haiti is focused on SDG#4 (quality, inclusive education) and #5 (gender equality), although there are many links to other SDGs (e.g., partnerships, eliminating poverty, reduced inequalities).

So why do I do what I do in Haiti? I do it to foster inclusive and equitable education.

I also do it because it's the right thing to do.