DAVE MATTHEWS BAND's seeds of hope in Haiti produce harvest of life-changing opportunities
In October 2015, Daniel Germain enrolled in the Excelsior Technical Institute, or ETI. The trade school had just opened and was one of the newest initiatives for FLM Haiti, a nonprofit that provides education and health care services in Haiti.
After two years of training in plumbing and electricity, Germain, finished in 2017, part of ETI’s first graduating class. With his new skills, he was able to forge a new beginning, finding a steady job in construction. A job that provided for him and his family.
In 2023, FLM Haiti, which stands for the Functional Literacy Ministry of Haiti, marks 40 years of helping the Haitians to help themselves by providing the kind of outreach and opportunity that has served to lift Germain and so many others like him to better lives.
As FLM looks toward its next 40 years and beyond, the Dave Matthews Band, which will be in Pittsburgh at the Star Lake Pavilion June 23, is set to celebrate the good works of Pittsburgh-based FLM Haiti.
In 2010, a devastating earthquake shook Haiti. Huge portions of the country would need to be rebuilt. With the help of the Building Goodness Foundation and the generous support of the Bama Works Fund | Dave Matthews Band and others, FLM Haiti was able to construct the Excelsior Technical Institute (ETI). Opened in 2015, ETI provides skills training in plumbing, electricity, and computer technology. ETI has also developed courses in tile work, culinary skills, tailoring, and window installation and fabrication.
“We saw early on that ETI could be useful in developing the skills and construction capacities of local Haitians,” says Bishop Leon Pamphile, a retired Pittsburgh teacher and Haitian native who founded FLM Haiti and serves as its CEO. “We saw that with this training, we could equip Haitians who could then take the lead and participate in rebuilding their own nation.”
Much like Germain, ETI graduates and students apply their skills to real-world applications such as auto repair, and commercial and residential construction.
Apprenticeships are part of the training and a technical project in one of the construction or other trades is a requirement for graduation.
After their study at ETI, almost all of the students find jobs. According to the ETI director, two recent graduates are planning to create their own electrical installation company.
For 40 years, FLM Haiti has directed resources from hundreds of committed donors, motivated by a deep spirit of Christian faith, hope, and love, to ease the burdens of life. Events over the past few years in Haiti continue to challenge communities across the country. Despite the challenges, FLM’s health clinic, its elementary and secondary school, and ETI – one of the few academies of post-secondary education in the area of Haiti that FLM serves – have continued to function and offer vital support thanks to dedicated staff and community goodwill.
Throughout 2023, various events will be held in Pittsburgh to celebrate FLM Haiti’s 40th anniversary. This includes a 5K walk, and a gala.
Visit the FLM Haiti website to learn more, and make a difference to support, build hope and opportunity, for the people of Haiti.