On October 11, 2007, Paul Bonicelli, USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Alonzo Fulgham, USAID’s Chief Operating Officer, visited one of IDEJEN’s youth centers. They visited the Self-Help Group for Children’s Development (GREDEVE/AJEC) center in the region of Port-au-Prince where they met with the center manager, Léonpauldine Dalbéris; Guerda Prévilon, IDEJEN Chief of Party; William Michel, IDEJEN Youth Program Coordinator; Hervé Jean-Charles, IDEJEN CTO, and several youth who participate in the IDEJEN project. Mr. Bonicelli reportedly said that the testimony by one of the IDEJEN youth, who noted that IDEJEN had given him an understanding of what it is to be a responsible Haitian citizen, was a high point in his trip.

A delegation from the United States Congress visited one of IDEJEN’s centers in Cité Soleil on October 26, 2007. Senators Jeff Bingaman, Tom Harkin, and Bob Corker, along with Director of the Navy Senate Liaison, Captain Gene Moran, and members of their respective staff made a short visit to the Organization for the Promotion of Youth and Children in Difficulty (OPJED). They met with Guerda Prévilon, IDEJEN Chief of Party, and with a group of IDEJEN youth. The delegation came as part of two-day trip to see various humanitarian, economic and environmental preservation initiatives in Haiti.

Senator Corker (right) and several IDEJEN youth listen for details about the next activity.