Friends of Paradis des Indiens Inc. Board Members
- Katia Lebrun-Célestin: President
- Mireille Lebrun Jeannopoulos: Vice President
- Pascale Bazelais: Director
- Diane Domond: Director
- Christina A. Lebrun-Célestin: Director
- Karyn Lefevre Jeannopoulos: Director
- Nancy Ferere: Director
- Chantal Lebrun Bazelais: Former President
Giving Back to the Island we love
Friends of Paradis des Indiens, Inc. is a philanthropic, not for profit 501(c)(3) foundation based in Pompano Beach, Florida. We are dedicated to providing needed financial assistance to “Fondation Paradis des Indiens” in Abricots, Haiti and to the people of the Grand’Anse region. Funds are raised through individual donations, grants from organizations and various fundraising activities. The Board of Directors of Friends of Paradis des Indiens, Inc. (FPDI) consists of volunteer members who do not get a salary.
Our goals are focused on supporting the educational and work-skills based training initiatives of Fondation Paradis des Indiens. We, Friends of Paradis des Indiens, Inc.(FPDI), focus our efforts on raising funds to:
- Provide for the salaries of teachers and directors.
- Maintain and repair all schools, thus keeping them in good working order.
- Provide scholarships for advanced schooling for the most promising students.
- Continue and expand the existing work-skills training initiatives in Abricots, including training of new teachers and their aids.
- Promote the artisan initiatives through continued training, development, and assistance in the sale of finished products.
Meet Our Founder
In 1975, Michaelle de Verteuil (Mica), Founder and President of Fondation Paradis des Indiens relocated from Canada to Haiti to dedicate her life to the people of Abricots, Haiti. Mica began her work in Abricots by opening a two-room schoolhouse serving 60 of the poorest of poor young children.
As of 2024, Fondation Paradis des Indiens now oversees more than 2,500 students in 8 schools. Her scope is wide as she also supervises the workshops and the various projects of the Fondation.
The Mission of Fondation Paradis des Indiens:
- To educate the area’s underprivileged children and adults.
- To effectively train teachers to maintain and improve the necessary level of education.
- To improve the community by creating economic opportunities through entrepreneurship, reforestation, agriculture and beekeeping projects.
Foundation History
Fondation Paradis des Indiens in Abricots is a humanitarian organization created to combat illiteracy, through the implementation of educational programs that not only facilitate learning but also impart real life skills to both children and adults in Abricots, Haiti. The project Paradis des Indiens was created to serve the poorest children of Abricots, a small fishing village, of about 30,000 inhabitants, in the Grand’Anse area of Haiti. Today, the school system includes both the village school and 7 small mountain schools. Paradis des Indiens now supports over 2,500 students. Aside from academic classes the students receive training in manual skills, reforestation and agricultural techniques. In order to provide remunerative work for the inhabitants of the region, the founders established a number of work activities including arts and crafts, embroidery, woodworking, fruit drying, and apiculture. They also have a continuous project to modernize beekeeping and agricultural activities and the formation of green areas. The mission of the organization in Abricots, Haiti, is primarily to educate but the goal is to empower the people of Abricots to achieve both financial independence and self-sufficiency through entrepreneurial development.