Exploring One Big New Reason To Give In 2026
(And Riddle: When Should a Final Exam Involve Rum?)
I have written about this in the past briefly, but I wanted to share a free webinar series that dives deeper with an expert in giving to small, medium, and large nonprofits. Kelly Wilson is spearheading a campaign called “Give A Grand” and is hosting sessions in January to explain the nitty-gritty on how nonprofits can encourage donors to give at higher levels–no matter the complexity or simplicity of your systems. Attendees will receive a toolkit to help put these insights into practice.
When most donations to organizations are well under $500, this is a fantastic opportunity to make bold asks and energize donors across the philanthropic ecosystem!
Sign up for a virtual, hour-long session on Monday, Jan. 26, 3pm CT (register) or Wednesday, January 28, noon CT (register).
Here are some numbers from the MENFP school census of 2004-2005 with some numbers from PopulationPyramid which sources from UNESCO.
Population Pyramid - MENFP 12/2025 in Haiti Libre
Preschool (3-5) 700,000 - 861,812
Primary (6-11) 1,500,000 - 2,600,000
Secondary (12-17) 1,500,000 -521,766
TOTAL 3,700,000 - 1,383,578.00
Do you see something whack-a-doodle here? I have triple checked these numbers and something does not make sense. For preschool and primary there are more kids in school than there are children in the country. and the secondary number looks suspiciously high. In the article, it states UNESCO was part of the effort so I hesitate to say something is wrong. But it just makes no sense to me. If one of you can enlighten me, I would appreciate it.
10 things to know about Vodou even if you don’t practice. This article from Haitian Times interviews an emeritus professor from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who is also a houngan asogwe, a type of Vodou priest. He said Vodou is very similar to other belief systems rooted in nature, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Japan’s national religion, and Native American religions. There is no devil in Vodouism. This is a good read, especially for those who don’t practice - it points out so many of the incorrect things that Christian society has wrong about the religion.
Konpa added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list
New book alert: Cécé by Emmilie Prophéte. Listed in the Wall St Journal: “…captures the split identities of its title character - the young woman who struggles to endure the gangland insanity of Haiti and the upbeat social media personality she presents online.” Order from Bookshop if you don’t want to support Amazon.
Something caught my eye in the Smithsonian Associates. They offer online lectures, and they had one on Liberty in the Cane Fields: The Haitian Revolution and its Legacy in between the Vikings and Lady Bird Johnson. Finally, something in mainstream society is looking at Haiti's history instead of the current situation. It took me years of deep reading to get an idea of the complexity of the revolution and its players. I still am no expert. But I know enough to know this successful throwing off the shackles of slavery is a content GOLDMINE. But I see next to nothing in popular culture about it.
Let’s look at movies. The Internet Movie Database says there are 8 movies and series episodes on the Haitian revolution and Toussaint Louverture - some overlap. However, there are more than 45 on Marie Antoinette - mostly in English. There may be a list in French somewhere with even more movies. Why, as a freedom-loving America, do we know more about Marie Antoinette than Toussaint Louverture, who changed the world for the better of millions of people? I never learned about that in school, but I sure learned about Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution. Can you say “racism”? Sigh.
This made me laugh. I am for all education that helps one earn a living, even if it involves serving liquor:) The CEO of Rhum Barbancourt recently inaugurated the Teaching Bar at the Hotel School of Haiti. I can only imagine the final exam:)