Our model makes a difference

Basically today there are two models being used when working in the developing world. One has been used since the aftermath of WWII, it was very successful in rebuilding Europe and is effective during times of natural disaster, but not so much in the decades after in attempting to address the needs of the developing world. This model usually assesses the need, develops a solution apart from those who are intended to receive it, and then implements it most often in the form of “free stuff” The problem is “it simply does not work. We simply cannot give people enough “free stuff” today that they suddenly become self-sufficient tomorrow. We know we can never feed people enough or give people enough free stuff to make them suddenly independent and whole. Many older models still rely on the dependency of those they serve to solicit donations and provide cash flow. This is most often provided with the greatest of intentions and a good heart…but over and over what we see is that after decades of “free stuff, outsider solutions, and millions of dollars…people are still hungry… people are still dependent... something is not working. How successful or loving is a model where those you serve are dependent on you for life. People don’t need a handout… they need a hand up. As our friend Daniel Jean Louis says; “No one wants to be a beggar for life!”

The EPI Model: Our economic model is simple, but harder to implement. The outcome, however, has the propensity to leave those served in a much greater position to succeed and provide for future generations. We focus on the wholeness of the individual and the community.

1. On the Job Training:   Our instruction or “on the job” training programs equip our interns in a particular international level skill set. It includes classroom instruction and on the job training that results in the creation of items that can provide subsistence early in the program. This helps our interns meet some of their basic family needs, allowing them to remain in and complete the program. The duration of these programs is usually one or two years.
2. The Opportunity Generator:   In most areas of Haiti there are very few opportunities for formal or fulltime employment. So even if you hold a certificate in a particular “trade skill” there is often a lack of “opportunity” to transform those skills into an income that provides the basic requirements of family life. We recognized early on that training by itself would not be enough to transform the life of an individual, a family, or a community. We needed an “opportunity generator”, so the idea of a cooperative business began to form to become that generator.
3. The Cooperative Business:   What will success in Tibo look like for EPI? We define our success as working our way out of a job, where we are no longer needed. Those interns who successfully complete our certificate programs will receive a job offer in the Cooperative Business. Upon acceptance of the job offer and successful completion of the probation period these interns will be invited to become a member of the Cooperative. Members will have a voice and a vote in the future of the Cooperative. The Cooperative will begin in the steady hands of the EPI Board and transition into Haitian leadership and management.