About HELP
Our Story
HELP began with a single donation: tuition and books for a promising young Haitian woman with a dream of studying medicine. Growing up, this young woman was so poor that she sometimes couldn’t afford to eat. When she and her family visited the local clinic, the staff treated them poorly because of their circumstances. She imagined starting her own clinic where all patients would be regarded with kindness and respect.
Thanks to the donation from her English teacher, HELP founder Conor Bohan, that young woman—Dr. Isemonde Joseph—was able to complete her medical degree in 2005. She went on to work at a clinic in Port-Au-Prince, treating patients with compassionate skill.
Thanks to the support of our generous donors, HELP has since grown to support the transformation of over 200 students, providing them with full tuition, housing, living stipends, textbooks, and supplies. HELP also provides each student with English, IT, and Citizenship & Leadership classes, taught by HELP faculty. These courses prepare our students with the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce and to become agents of change in their communities.
Cultivating respect, rigor, courage, sacrifice, and service, HELP students address Haiti’s social, environmental, and infrastructural challenges. Our alumni comprise a new class of ethical leaders interested not in maximizing personal gain, but in galvanizing collective action.