Answers by Jude V.P. Tranquille and photo by Krystie Babalos
Heart On caught up with a young and emerging Haitian leader Jude V. P. Tranquille — an entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and philanthropist — who against all odds, inspires and teaches the next generation of entrepreneurs in Port-Au-Prince to become self-sufficient and make their community more prosperous.
HO: Tell us about yourself.
JT: I am an inspirational speaker, storyteller and founder of two organizations. Through my work, I try to inspire other young Haitians by being the change I want to see in them – by showing good character and good behaviour, by learning from inspirational people who have struggled and succeeded in life, and by sharing my story. Through workshops and conferences on personal development, leadership, self-esteem and self-confidence, goal setting, professional relationship building, and more, I try to empower my peers to do more with their lives by finding their inner drive and acting on their goals. As Jim Kwik has been quoted as saying, “If an egg is broken by outside force, life ends. If broken by inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from inside.”
HO: How did you end up doing this work? Was there a moment in your life that led you to try to make a difference in your community?
JT: Yes. In 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti. The world’s eyes were brought to my island nation as over 230,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were left homeless in and around Port-au-Prince. Right after the earthquake, I visited places in Haiti where people were living without access to good food and nutrition. I saw firsthand children who had no hope for a better tomorrow. In July 2012, my friends and I set up Devoted Servants – a non-profit organization dedicated to going to impoverished communities and providing basic necessities for people in need. We made sure to support children and youth from all religious beliefs, political views and ethnicities. With time, I realized that helping people by providing food, hygienic kits, and other basic necessities was a good way to help them get through hard times and to bring a smile to a child’s face. But, these are recurring needs, and our supplies only provide a short-term solution to a long-term problem. It dawned on me that Haitians must learn to create sustainable change with the knowledge, resources and energy they already have so the country can become independent from outside help.
HO: In addition to your work with Devoted Servants, you are the Co-founder of Haiti Entrepreneurship Camp. Tell us what you’re trying to do with this organization.
JT: I believe social entrepreneurship is key to creating change in Haiti. In July 2013, I spoke at a Rotary leadership conference at George Washington University, sharing my vision of an independent Haiti with over 250 people from 30 different countries. Later on, Jan Holz, an incredible young man from Germany, asked me to share more of my ideas with him over coffee. Less than a year later, I, Jan Holz, Alexandra Henrich and other friends set up Haiti Entrepreneurship Camp. Run in partnership with volunteers from the UK, Germany, USA, Singapore, and Haiti, the organization aims to exchange knowledge and build relationships with entrepreneurs in hopes of empowering them to develop prosperous independent communities and help turn around struggling economies. Through Haiti Entrepreneurship Camp, we provide knowledge and business skills to young and emerging Haitian entrepreneurs. Participants learn how to start their own businesses and maintain it by developing skills in marketing, finance, economics, teamwork, and so on. The camp supports a spirit of entrepreneurship in Port-au-Prince through an ever growing number of people.
HO: Tell us about the people who have participated in the camp and what they are up to.
JT: In 2014, we had 30 participants and in 2015, we had 28 participants. Our participants represented diverse sectors, such as agriculture, food production, environment, tourism, technology services, and more. After receiving training in the camp, many of our participants started their own businesses and are now in operations. In fact, 45 per cent of participants are generating revenue in their businesses. Others, who were already running their own businesses, have applied new skills to improve their businesses. I have seen our participants become more self-confident and motivated to achieve their economic goals. Many are even employing other people. This is incredibly important because there are not enough jobs in Haiti for the population. And there will never be enough unless there are enough local entrepreneurs to create jobs. Entrepreneurship is one vehicle to helping my country make a shift towards economic and social development. The camp is intended to nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship and build a new generation of entrepreneurs who will create fair and just jobs for the Haitian people, which will boost the economy towards self-sufficiency.
HO: Where did you learn to be proactive in supporting your peers?
JT: I was born in a Christian family in a poor neighbourhood located within a rich community called Petion-Ville in Port-au-Prince. I was raised by a single, hardworking woman who invested all that she had in me, from her financial means to her character, integrity, and so on to make me the person I am today. Unfortunately, she passed away in March 2015. That’s when I realized that it’s not what you leave for your children that matters most, it’s what you leave within them: good character, a spirit of helping others and respect for our fellow human beings. Beyond the influence of my mother, I also had the privilege to get an education and enter the business world. I love reading motivational, inspirational, self-development, leadership books and biographies.
HO: What do you love most about what you do?
JT: What I love most is uplifting people to become all they were created to be. By inspiring them to believe that there is a wealth of potential within, they can accomplish great things in life. They can use that potential to climb beyond the limitations they have placed on themselves, to have the courage and willingness to take action and move forward, to have confidence in themselves and to be themselves, not a duplicate of someone else.
– Heart On –
The post Building Haiti Up appeared first on Heart On Collective.