Hope Rising from the Rubble: BOVET 1822 Joins The Academy for Peace and Justice in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Celebrate its First Graduating Class
Hope Rising from the Rubble: BOVET 1822 Joins The Academy for Peace and Justice in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Celebrate its First Graduating Class
In a time of global unrest, BOVET 1822 continues to support education in poor communities as a means of change. While Haiti remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and the nation’s on-going political instability serves as the primary obstacle to successful long-term development, progress is being made. Thanks to the efforts of charity organizations such as Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) and its dedicated partners, access to middle and high school education for Haiti’s urban poor is becoming a reality.
At the end of 2013, Pascal Raffy, owner of Swiss timepiece manufacturer BOVET 1822, was so moved by what he experienced working with APJ that he penned a partnership between his company and the charity. BOVET would annually contribute $1 million of support for at least five years to ensure that 100% of all public donations to APJ would go directly to their programs in Haiti.
APJ was created immediately following the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti when Academy Award® winning filmmaker Paul Haggis gathered Hollywood friends in the backyard of his Santa Monica home. He had just returned from delivering humanitarian relief to Haiti and saw first-hand the enormity of what needed to be done next. Knowing that one-time, short-term commitments would not create new institutions that the country so clearly needed, Haggis asked friends to make five-year commitments to build a dignified middle and high school for the very poor of Port- au-Prince.
With overwhelming support, the Academy for Peace and Justice was built over the following years in partnership with The St. Luke Foundation of Haiti and Haggis’s own Artists for Peace and Justice foundation. The Academy now serves 2,600 students on full scholarship and provides year-round access to free medical care to them through St. Luke’s hospital. Since its inception, the Academy has grown by 400 students each year and reached full capacity in the fall of 2015.
Mr. Raffy made the trip to Haiti in 2014 to see first-hand where the students lived and the efforts being made at the Academy. He returned resolute in his decision to support the children and their families together with APJ, ensuring that they receive the resources and education necessary to rise out of poverty.
Mr. Raffy returned to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to join Paul Haggis and other long-term supporters of the school to celebrate with the Academy its first graduating class on June 19th as well as the opening of its newest building. Mr. Raffy said of the momentous occasion, “I met the great Artists for Peace and Justice family during an evening on Sunset Boulevard. I then discovered Sun City (Cité Soleil in Port-au-Prince) with Father Rick (of The St. Luke Foundation of Haiti), this giant, who inspired my indefectible will to feed Haiti’s children’s hope based on education, perseverance and pride. June 19th, 2016 celebrates our collective integrity, the sunrise of a new generation of excellence. They said it was impossible, but all together we did it. Congratulations to all the teachers, without whom this dream could not become a reality.”
Following Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, a whopping $10 billion in foreign aid commitments were made but the delivery of that assistance and much of the reconstruction and development process had been mired in broken promises, short term investments and failed projects, leaving Haiti with very few new institutions and infrastructure. APJ, however, has not faltered in its dedication to building important new learning institutions dedicated to helping Haiti’s youth rise from poverty with dignity, and BOVET also continues to stand behind these efforts.
Founder Paul Haggis says, “What a long way we’ve come from the devastation of the 2010 earthquake. The broken buildings and shattered hopes have been no match for the tireless work of Father Rick (of The St. Luke Foundation for Haiti), our staff, all of our supporters and our students. The day has finally arrived – we welcome our first ever graduating class at the Academy. I cannot begin to convey the pride that I have for their hard work against unbelievable odds to reach this monumental day. The pride of a nation will walk with our students into a brighter future.”
Over 40 international APJ members and supporters traveled to Port-au-Prince to celebrate on June 19th. Along with Mr. Raffy, Susan Sarandon, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor and Maria Bello were among those who made the trip to join Paul Haggis. They are all regular visitors to Haiti and have been dedicated advocates for the project since inception.
The long-term charitable commitment made by BOVET and its owner, Pascal Raffy, represents the efforts of the luxury market to contribute back into the world. Pascal Raffy stands firmly with APJ and its supporters in their aim to grow a new generation of Haitian leaders by providing access to quality secondary and higher education. The model and guiding principles of the Academy are simple: that a primary school education is not sufficient to break the cycle of endemic poverty. This is true as a global statement to raise others from poverty through access to education and even that luxury spending, when conducted through a principled House like BOVET, can contribute to betterment of communities worldwide.