Jean Paul F.

Jean Paul F. graduated from LCS in 2003. After graduating, he attended Faculté des Sciences at the State university and INUQUA University. Later, he participated in an entrepreneurial workshop program with Entrepreneurship Growth Innovation (EGI). EGI is a sister non-profit started by former Volunteer Steve Keppel. Its purpose is to help graduates start new businesses. 

After EGI, Jean Paul started his own business, Collibel, in 2009. Collibel is primarily involved in sandal making. Jean Paul started the sandal-making business from nothing – while he operated a beauty salon and a trading center. With the success that came through his business, Jean Paul realized that he needed to give back to his community, Cité Soleil, after the earthquake.

In 2010, he started working for SAKALA: The Community Center for Peaceful Alternatives. It is a local non-governmental organization that has been operating since 2006. He is now the acting Social Work Executive Director for SAKALA. In a typical day, Jean Paul spends the morning at Collibel and the afternoon at SAKALA. At SAKALA, he manages the staff, contacts donors, and works on finding new projects for the organization.

SAKALA’s purpose is to offer a better life for the children living in Cité Soleil, which usually consists in gangs. SAKALA gives scholarships to students for various local schools and provides after-school activities such as soccer and gardening – including tending the largest urban garden in Haiti.

There are over 350 kids in the SAKALA program, and they currently have five students studying economics at the university. Deacon Moynihan comments, “If there is one thing I like about Jean Paul it is his industriousness, his ability to work hard and make change.” Let us pray that this change continues.