By THP President Deacon Patrick Moynihan

People often ask me, "Why Haiti, why now?" when I share The Haitian Project’s plans to build a national network of secondary schools in Haiti based on our very successful school outside of Port-au-Prince.

The answer is that, in Haiti, a project of this scale is both immensely possible and immensely necessary.

It is immensely possible because of the close proximity to the U.S. and Haiti’s position within a region of highly functional, democratic capitalist states. Additionally, there are no ideological impediments within the country itself. The people of Haiti want economic growth and integration into the regional economy. Finally, given the relative size of the country and its economy, a project of this level is actually large enough to be a catalyst for broader systemic change and transformation.

It is immensely necessary because the amount of money it takes to change Haiti is infinitesimally small compared to the waste and damage that can occur if Haiti fails to emerge as a successful nation. And, without a doubt, Haiti is the origin of everything we now know as America. Haiti deserves the opportunity to regain its footing and live up to its historic importance as the birthplace of the Western Hemisphere.