Rethink Fragility

Marie-Rose founded ESPWA not long after the 2010 earthquake which killed some 200,000 people. This led into eight years of intensive support to community-driven planning, with particular focus on the Grand ‘Anse region. We discuss the difficulties of building an inclusive platform in rural areas with little infrastructure and the usual rivalries; her own family’s heritage of political activism; and what it was like to encounter international institutions as the face of a Haitian organisation. Show notes: [02:05] Pivoting from community development in the United States to rural Haiti. Commonalities in how people can be politically and economically marginalised. [10:45] Connecting with her family’s roots in political activism in Haiti. First steps in setting up a community foundation in the Grand ‘Anse region, in the wake of the 2010 earthquake. [24:10] How to develop an inclusive platform in the Haitian context. Early difficulties in communicating this vision to local and international partners. [35:25] T