We put communities first, prioritizing viability, scalability & accountability
Our Mission
Design, implement, and manage community driven aid & development projects – prioritizing viability (efficacy), scalability (impact), and accountability (trust).
Haiti Crew
Our design, implementation, management and growth strategy is predicated upon facilitating, supporting and following local leadership. Together, we have developed a system of production and accountability that is essentially self-functioning.
Each member of our crew is from a village in the area where we work; this helps establish, and reinforce, an effective line of communication and trust between the communities we serve and our organization, while simultaneously promoting a local sense of ownership over our project(s).
We do not offer volunteer opportunities to non-Haitians.
Disclosure: On occasion, we will work with specialists from outside of Haiti who hold a unique skill set unavailable (to us) inside of Haiti. We also bring in key donors (at their expense) to see exactly what they are supporting, to better understand how our project is unique, and why their support is vital.
Jean “Sonel” Auracy,
Project Manager
Born and raised in Pensik, a village in Marozo, Sonel is a respected community leader, farmer, and father of four children. Although Sonel has moved to the nearby town of Fonds Parisien, his mother and sisters still live in Pensik, where he continues to grow crops, and work with community members to bring in much needed resources. Sonel coordinates all of our work in the area … it would be impossible to do what we do without his leadership.
Gracier Auracy
Lead Cistern Engineer
Gracier has lived his entire life in Marozo, and has been working with us for over 3 years. He has attended a specialized course offered through the UN, where he learned how to build the exact cisterns that we install. Gracier has also designed an improvement to the original design, which has resulted in a stronger cistern – all of which survived Hurricane Matthew. Needless to say, Gracier is as proud of this fact, as we are grateful.
Issac Jean,
Lead Plumbing Installer
From the village of Robia, in Pays Pourri, Issac originally trained as Gracier’s apprentice. He has chosen to focus his work exclusively on the installation of the rainwater harvesting apparatus – the “plumbing” – that is attached to the roofs of each system. This is a complex mathematical and logistical process, in which Issac has excelled. He is always quick with a smile, and excited to work with us when the opportunity arises.
Jesse Baker,
Project Founder
Jesse first came to Haiti in December of 2010 in the wake of the cholera epidemic introduced by the UN after Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake. Jesse has consistently returned ever since, and lived in Haiti from January 2016 to July 2017. Jesse works closely with Sonel in all phases of our project on the ground, he oversees all organizational processes, and is responsible for coordinating key partnerships. See extended bio below.
Board of Directors
Jesse Baker, Executive Director
Jesse holds a PhD in Environmental Policy; rather than enter academia, he chose to practically apply his academic training to international development and NGO management. He has consistently worked on projects in Haiti since December of 2010. From February 2016 – July 2017, Jesse was the Country Director for Haiti Communitere (HC), a community resource center in Port-au-Prince, where he successfully shifted HC’s organizational culture from disaster relief to a long-term development focus, brought their systems into compliance with local laws and regulations, and led their recovery efforts through Hurricane Matthew. He has worked, studied and lived throughout Latin America, Antarctica, and the Philippines, consulted on projects for over 40 different international NGOs, is a frequent public speaker, and has taught graduate courses in international development for Chapman University’s MA program in International Studies.
Chrissy Gray, Secretary + Treasurer
Chrissy has worked with numerous international and domestic NGOs and social enterprises, mostly focused on organizational structure, management, and compliance. She is actively involved in women’s empowerment, assisting and promoting female owned businesses, and bringing women together through a variety of events. Chrissy has traveled extensively, and is passionate about social and environmental justice.
Advisory Board
Markendy Desormeau
Livelihood Specialist, Mission Hope
A native Haitian, Markendy is one of the “OGs” behind our work, and was an important contributor during our project’s earliest days. His involvement with our work helped earn him an International Sustainability Fellowship at the University of California at Irvine from 2012 – 2018, where he was one of the most respected attendees.
Shilpa Alva
Founder & Executive Director, Surge for Water
Surge for Water and Framewrx International have collaborated on numerous projects in Haiti, ranging from rainwater harvesting, COVID-19 response, and WASH training. Shilpa has consistently been source of insight, information & inspiration. LinkedIn
Robin Borrud
Founder, Borrud Family Trust
Robin sits on several NGO boards focused on bringing marginalized communities together by facilitating partnerships between aligned organizations that work towards socially integrated and sustainable goals at the community level. One of her core beliefs is that change begins with people not issues.
