Former Legislative Fellow from Haiti Shares Experience with Civil Innovation Lab

After having returned from my fellowship at the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC) last year, I was put in contact with the Civil Innovation Lab (CIL), an international organization based in the Dominican Republic. Once this invitation was handed to me, I immediately thought that as a professional, this would be a great experience for me to learn about international projects and to share my recent experience as a Legislative Fellow and my community project funded by Partners, which I implemented right after my fellowship.

Fellow Doudly Elius 
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   Project Coordinator of Civil Innovation Lab

Caitlin Stilin-Rooney

This being my first invitation from an international organization, I was honored and excited to start my travel to my neighboring country of the Dominican Republic. I took a bus from Port-au-Prince, Haiti towards Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where I learned the Spanish word for bus station, “parada.” Once I arrived I was met by Caitlin Stilin-Rooney, the Project Coordinator for the Civil Innovation Lab. She received me with such enthusiasm by hugging me for what felt like forever and with a force that I almost choked. When she saw that I was wearing a t-shirt from my community project with the logo of Partners of the Americas and the U.S. State Department, she whipped out her phone and began taking a frenzy of pictures of us.

Sunset Jazz Event

Instead of going to sleep when I arrived, I was immediately immersed in the organization’s program. That night, at an event called Sunset Jazz, we watched a professional and international tap dancer from New York, Andrew Nemr, perform alongside percussionist Edgar Molina and a jazz band on the top floor of the Dominican Fiesta HOTEL and Casino overlooking the city. The performance was wonderful and I was able to meet and talk to other people like Roman Perez, an Operations Manager at Stance Data.

Civil Innovation Lab

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Fundacion Central Barahona Group

The next day, we took a bus to Barahona for an activity tour with Fundación Central Barahona. I met Carlos Miranda, Founder and Program Coordinator for the Civil Innovation Lab, and Rafael T. Nazario, Executive Director of Fundación Central Barahona. We discussed the various projects being worked on in the community, like the production and sale of goat cheese as well as fish farming. My favorite project would have to be the Chicken Farm Project, in which 1,000 chickens are grown and taken care of by members of the community. Each project is aimed at developing and aiding community growth by providing business structure, building capacity in finance and implementation, and having project ideas come directly from the community. I was able to go into a youth center were Andrew, the tap dancer, performed for the kids and danced with the kids. We were all also able to join and dance. It was a beautiful experience!

I am thankful for the opportunities presented by having gone through the Legislative Fellows Program at Partners of the Americas. This weekend spent at the Dominican Republic has helped me gain a deeper understanding about what a sustainable project is and how it can empower vulnerable communities.  I am now considering developing a partnership with the Civil Innovation Lab and the Fundación Central Barahona to implement similar projects in Haiti, in order to create employment and open new opportunities for Haitians and Dominicans to work together.

Tap Dance Performance-Short Video