Haiti Empowered, a nonprofit organization providing education, meals, and healthcare to more than 2,500 children in Haiti, has launched a cross-country road tour called The Empowered Road to address a growing budget gap. The initiative comes as the organization faces its second consecutive year of financial shortfall, this time larger than before, and with mission trips still stalled since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The road tour aims to share the mission in person and introduce a new generation of supporters to the children who depend on Haiti Empowered schools. For these children, school is more than a classroom: it is where they eat, learn, and access healthcare. Last year, one school was on the verge of closing due to a budget shortfall. A campaign called Adopt a Box, developed with Eagan-based Creative Studio Productions, raised $42,000 in thirty days, surpassing its $40,000 goal and keeping the school open.
This year, the gap is larger. Haiti Empowered is feeding children on credit and needs $150,000 just to cover rising costs. The reasons are complex. When mission trips stopped during COVID, the pipeline of new supporters disappeared. Child sponsorship, once about 75 percent of income, has fallen to 47 percent. Meanwhile, costs for food, fuel, medical supplies, transportation, and wages for the Haitian team have all increased.
The urgency is underscored by the numbers: more than half of Haiti's population faces acute hunger, over 1.8 million are in the emergency phase, and an estimated 253,725 young children are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition over the coming year. One in seven Haitian children is already out of school, with nearly a million more at risk of dropping out.
Kay Larson, president of Haiti Empowered, said the organization cannot cut back. "As a nonprofit, you cannot afford to skimp or to neglect your branding and your messaging," she said. She credits Creative Studio Productions with helping to craft the Adopt a Box campaign. "They truly are an extension of our team. We could not do what we do without them."
The Empowered Road runs on introductions. Supporters are asked to introduce Haiti Empowered to someone by email, connect them with churches, businesses, foundations, or community groups, and request meetings or gatherings. More information is available at haitiempowered.org. One introduction can become a relationship, and one relationship can help sustain this work for years to come.
For the children who walk to school hungry, the stakes are clear. A school is the safest and most hopeful place they know. The road tour is a race to ensure those doors stay open.
