Hope for Haiti and Sunbertz Performing Arts Project

Sarah Dutcher, Country Director – August 15, 2012
The newspapers of the world often concentrate on the catastrophes and struggles of Haiti. After representing Hope for Haiti as the Country Director for 2 years, I have seen many of Haiti’s successes including the incredible konpa music scene.  There are established and emerging Haitian musical artists playing venues everywhere throughout the country.  Each weekend, hand-painted billboards line the streets to announce upcoming concerts, and where and when the groups will play next is the talk of the town.

Director on the Guitar.	Games at Les Cayes Orphanage.	Group shot of the orphanage.

In addition to my work in the international development sector, my background includes theater and music.  Everywhere Hope for Haiti works, there is an opportunity to make music.  With a scarcity of resources comes a lack of opportunity for creative expression.   Within the budget of an orphanage or school, there is very rarely money left over extracurricular activities.  Two schools have recently added arts teachers thanks to Hope for Haiti’s support, but arts outreach and education are still needed at our over 60 partner institutions.

It took six-months for my close friend Matt Herz and I to design an organized arts curriculum for implementation here in Haiti. Matt is the founder of Sunbertz Musical Outreach, an organization that specializes in utilizing music and the arts as a vehicle to inspire and empower youth.  Matt’s team visited last week to ‘play’ with the children, hosted at partner institutions whose managers identified music as a pressing need.

The curriculum developed by Sunbertz and Hope for Haiti included music and games that represented the interests of Haitian children. There are two songs that highlighted the summer of 2012 here in Haiti, ‘Gade on Rev’ by Wanito, and ‘Dekole’ by J. Perry.  These songs are blasted from every radio station, and even the most rural villager knows every word.  Sunbertz representatives Andy Reger, Matt Herz, and Jessiee Datino arranged these songs for the acoustic guitar, and boarded the plane for Haiti.

Rural School Group Photo.	Rural School Music.	Stanley at Rural School.

The young men at a local orphanage greeted us with more energy and enthusiasm than I thought possible!  The boys needed very little guidance to let their creativity flow, and we found ourselves barely able to keep up with the demand for more games and activities.  Each of the 15 boys had their moment in the spotlight, and even, the director of the orphanage, showed a secret talent for the guitar.

Throughout the week, we also visited other Hope for Haiti partners including an orphanage for handicapped children, a rural school village, and even the streets of Les Cayes with our instruments and Haitian songs in tow.  Everywhere we went, everyone wanted to sing the words of J. Perry’s ‘Dekole,’

The Sunbertz team left Haiti with the words from ‘Dekole’ ringing through their heads, and the knowledge that Haiti is full of people hoping for a bright future and ready to work to make it happen. Because the music we played, games we designed, and instruments we used are all available in Haiti, the facilities can continue arts education despite limited resources. As I complete my two-year term as Country Director, the stories so often reported in newspapers barely scratch the surface of this country, these people, and this experience. Instead, I will remember the songs of Haitian musicians like J. Perry, asking their countrymen to work together to build a better future for Haiti.