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Date: 10/26/2017
LONGMEADOW – At a young age, Michaela Albano knew she desired to be a voice for the poor and a beacon guiding those less fortunate. When she was 14 Albano embarked on her first trip to Haiti with her St. Mary’s Catholic Church youth group, and she hasn’t turned back since. In fact, Albano was so inspired by her first trip that she was determined to make a difference, which has led to the creation of her own non-profit organization.
"I immediately jumped on board and started fundraising and planning to go [to Haiti]. I saw for the first time in my life how the poorest of the poor really live, 14 is an extremely impressionable age, and at that age I realized that I couldn’t stand by for the rest of my life because I was privileged and able to do so, I needed to use that privilege and help those who aren’t as lucky,” Albano said.
On her first trip, Albano said she went through a series of stages of adjustment.
“I was at first scared of new surroundings and a totally different culture, then I was saddened by the depth of the poor and the way people had to live there. Then I grew more comfortable and met more people and became happy and hopeful, due to their pure beauty and joy. Then the greatest stage of all, I became determined and empowered to help,” Albano explained.
Over the last 10 years, Albano has traveled to Haiti numerous times, each time learning more than the last. Following her second trip to Haiti, the idea to start her own non-profit was born.
“I saw how certain organizations were ran and I didn’t necessarily agree with the ideals or way of doing things and I thought to myself, ‘why don’t you start your own and do things your way?’” Albano said.
Once she decided that creating a non-profit was something she wanted to do, Albano began to take more business classes in high school and researched which colleges would give her the best-possible education and experience for her future goals. Albano decided on Sacred Heart University (SHU) in Fairfield, CT.
“I chose to double major in International Business and Economics with a concentration in sustainable development. I then continued my education at SHU and went on to get my MBA in management with a concentration in non-profit management,” she said. “This was the plan from 15 years old and never once did that waiver or change. It was an amazing feeling being determined and accomplishing the first step of many to my dreams.”
During her time at SHU, Albano began an organization called Lespwa. Lespwa is the Creole word for “hope,” and with this organization, Albano would travel to Haiti with groups of students every spring break.
“I knew I wanted the name of my organization to be Lespwa, there is nothing more beautiful than the idea of hope. The first step to the organization is the business proposal, fundraising video and becoming an official 501C3 non-profit,” she said. “This all takes time and I’m only at the beginning stages right now of drafting the proposal and traveling to Haiti to make the fundraising and awareness video.”
Albano’s non-profit will have three important aspects: education, activity, and sustainability. Lespwa Academy is the main focus of the non-profit. The idea behind Lespwa Academy is that it will be a boarding school located in Haiti with free education for anyone to attend, as well as a place for students to call home, if needed.
“There are thousands of orphaned children in Haiti that need a safe place to live, food to eat, and a place to call home and be loved. That’s the primary goal, to get these orphaned children a chance for a better future,” Albano said. “However, many children in Haiti are not orphaned, they have parents, only their parents can’t provide for them. Lespwa Academy is open to these children as well.”
Albano expressed concern that Haiti doesn’t have a public education system. Unless a child is sponsored or the family has copious amounts of money, they will not have the opportunity to receive an education. Lespwa Academy will give those children a chance to go to school.
“The teachers at the academy will all be Haitian professionals. I wish to not only help the children but the adults of Haiti without jobs too. My dream is to educate, employ and empower the Haitian people, so that they may have the chance at a brighter future,” she said.
The second aspect to Albano’s non-profit is activity, in the form of sports. Though her favorite sport is football, it isn’t well received in Haiti, so Albano plans to bring soccer to the Haitian children.
“This is where boys and girls will spend at least one hour each day on the soccer fields at the academy with coaches training and playing the sport. In Haiti, girls don’t get this opportunity often; there aren’t girl’s leagues or teams. They barely play at recess or with the villages,” she continued. “Girls will get a chance to become passionate about sports here at Lespwa Academy.”
Finally, as a part of a work-study program for the secondary students in school, Albano plans to educate students on sustainable economic development.
“We will go into the surrounding communities and educate them on different forms of agriculture to help with their crops in order to help bring in money to these communities. We will also survey each village and ask what they feel their needs are. One thing my organization will not do is go into a community and tell them what we will do for them, we want to hear from the local people on what they need or want and then work together with them, side by side, and try to improve their lives,” she explained.
In a few weeks Albano will be traveling to Haiti for four days. Her current job working for the New England Patriots will only allow for her to be there for a short time, though her trip will complete a pivotal aspect to creating Lespwa Academy; the awareness video. Though she created a video in the past when she was in Haiti, Albano plans to create an up-to-date film that will be used as a tool to raise money for her organization down the road.
“The funds raised will go toward the costs of making the fundraising video, as well as money going to the Haitian people that will be helping me in November. Money for the children who will be with me each day, money for the men and women who are welcoming myself and my cinematographer into their homes, money for searching for land for the organization to eventually be built on, money to the Haitian man who will be the translator for the entirety of the trip,” she explained.
Albano has raised $1,225 of her $1,600 goal on her GoFundMe page. On the page, she shares a powerful video from her 2015 visit to Haiti. The video features her post-graduation goals and ambitions. Now, she’s ready to begin the next stage, but needs to raise the necessary funds to do so. To donate, go to gofundme.com/dreams-do-come-truelespwa-academy.
“By educating one child, feeding one mouth, caring for one person at a time, these small changes add up and they can transform a village, a nation, and I believe they can transform the world,” she said. “I have a strong conviction that every individual life matters, that people matter. Race, religion, gender or socio-economical background do not matter to me. We should all be doing our part to make this world a better place for future generations, and that starts with the children of this world.”