Coffee Hour: Development vs. Relief in Haiti, and Haiti Outreach 6/11
Saturday, June 11th, 2011
10 AM to 11:45 AM
La Conexión de Las Américas
3019 Minnehaha Ave, Suite 20 Minneapolis, MN 55406
Development vs. Relief–Haiti and Haiti Outreach
Presented in English
Our Presenter
Dale Snyder is the Director of Development for Haiti Outreach. He has been involved in Haiti since 1990 when he helped start a nonprofit volunteer organization doing work in Haiti that was renamed and reorganized as Haiti Outreach in 1997. He has been on the board of directors of Haiti Outreach from its beginning until he resigned to take up the position of Executive Director nine years ago. In a very recent reorganization, the position of executive director was abolished and Dale assumed the new position of Director of Development. A former business owner, Dale has an MBA from the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota. He lives in Minneapolis and has two grown children and one grandchild. He is a member of the Minneapolis Uptown Rotary Club.
Summary of the Talk
Mr. Snyder’s presentation will consist of three parts. The first part will be a description and brief history of the country of Haiti. The second part will be an explanation of who Haiti Outreach is and what they do in Haiti. The third part will describe the difference between a relief organization and development organization, and how the lack of that distinction by many non-profit organizations and governments can lead to confusion when attempting to produce certain results. It can also lead to behaviors that, while well intentioned, can actually create a dependency and interfere with development. There will be time during and after the presentation for questions and answers.
Haiti Outreach: The Organization
In 1997, a group of volunteers from Minnesota joined forces with one common goal in mind: to help Haiti become a developed country. Haiti Outreach collaborates with the people of Haiti to build and maintain community-initiated projects that advance their development. Their work to date has focused on three basic areas: clean water, education, and economic development; this model differs from that of other organizations because it is one of development rather than relief. The long term goal of Haiti Outreach is to help Haiti become self-sustained and no longer dependent on outside relief efforts. The main base is located in Pignon, and since 1997, Haiti Outreach has drilled wells, improved the town water system, built a public high school, sponsored a micro-lending bank that opened a branch in Pignon, and employed 24 people from the area to help carry out the mission.
Contact: Dale Snyder
dale@haitioutreach.org
