The tet-a-tet of Just Haiti
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Tet-a-tet is a Haitian phrase meaning "working in partnership."

Many people are making Just Haiti a viable operation. Some are mentioned below (Father Pierre Pascal Pierre, Kim Lamberty, Bernard Nestor, David Cahoon and Kathleen McGourty).

The most important people tet-a-tet for Just Haiti are the coffee farmers of Baradères, Haiti, and their families.

Father Pierre Pascal Pierre

Father Pascal is director of Développement Communautaire Chrétien Haïtien (Christian Development Program for Haitian Communities) in Les Cayes, Haiti. The DCCH is a division of Caritas International in Haiti that is concerned with developing subsistence agriculture projects.

Just Haiti has been collaborating with Father Pascal since the summer of 2007, but the relationship goes back much farther.

From about 1997 to 2004, Father Pascal was pastor of St. Pierre parish in Baradères. He personally knows many of the coffee growers Just Haiti is working with.

In addition, he and Kim Lamberty of Just Haiti have a longstanding working relationship of trust and respect. During the period when Fr. Pascal was pastor of St. Pierre—the sister parish of St. John the Baptist (SJB) Catholic Community in Silver Spring, Maryland—Kim was directly managing the SJB sister parish program. During this same period, all the other Just Haiti founders developed relationships with Fr. Pascal. The group naturally turned to him once again when they were looking for a partner in Haiti.

Following his pastorship at St. Pierre, Father Pascal left Haiti to study at the Institut Catholique de Paris in France. He received a Master's Degree in Education and is currently completing his doctoral studies. In addition to his DCCH duties, Father Pascal is chaplain and professor at the Catholic University in Les Cayes, and also teaches at the state university in Les Cayes.

Dr. Kim Lamberty

Kim has been developing and managing faith-based justice, peace, cross-cultural, and community service programs for nearly 20 years. She is currently Senior Program Advisor at Catholic Relief Services Haiti Partnership Unit, based in Baltimore. She has worked with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Colombia and Palestine, accompanying rural communities at risk of violence from armed groups, and on the U.S.-Mexico border with groups trying to prevent migrant deaths. She worked in parish ministry for nearly eight years, responsible for developing and managing parish-based justice and service ministries, including the sister parish project in Baraderes, Haiti. She was also Executive Director of Episcopal Service Corps, a young adult service program of the Episcopal Church. She holds a Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Doctor of Ministry degree, in cross-cultural ministry, from Catholic Theological Union, where she has also taught a course on social and economic justice ministry.

Bernard Nestor

Bernard was born in Haiti, and moved to the United Sates when he was 18 years old. Although he has never visited the community of Baradères he feels like he has been there and that he knows the people. He knows them through the accounts of those who have traveled there, his recollection of bygone days when he lived in Haiti, and his gut feelings about this community. These all concur in giving him a coherent and living picture of life in that part of the world.

Bernard has been a member of the sister parish committee at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Silver Spring, Md., for over ten years. He appreciates the work that the parish is doing in support of the Baradères community. He also believes that additional steps are needed to buttress the progress already realized. Through Just Haiti he found like-minded people and happily joined with them in taking the initiative to help serve the people of Baradères. Through this coffee project, the people in Baradères become part of the global community, and will be able to improve their lives.

Walnes, Deacon Dave, Omilia et Tournante   The representatives of APCC on their way to visit KDB in Baraderes

Rev. Dcn. David Cahoon

Deacon Dave was ordained in 1991 and received the Benemerenti Medal in 2008 from Pope Benedict XVI for his service to the church of Washington. His undergraduate degree is in Philosophy (Holy Cross) with his Graduate work in Physics (Catholic University) and Theology (Washington Theological Union). He is currently assisting at a parish in Montgomery County, MD that has an active twinning relationship with the community of Carcasse, Haiti. Although St Mary's in Barnesville is a tiny parish, he is inspired by the tireless efforts of parishioners like Jack Reid, Diana Snouffer, Francis Mackie and Tony Chmelik who make many trips to the remote village of Carcasse out of solidarity and love for the people they have met. The coffee growers of Carcasse have now organized an association (APCC) after the model of KDB in Baraderes. They hope to begin coffee exportation in 2011, expanding the mission and work of Just Haiti.

Kathleen McGourty

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Just Haiti works to alleviate poverty, hunger, violence, illiteracy and disease in Haiti by fostering small-business development, education programs, employment opportunity, infrastructure improvement and environmental quality. Just Haiti is a Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization.

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