Diaspora launching more digital platforms to drive Haitian-led solutions

On Jan. 1, dyaspora.ht launched its website and mobile app with the stated aims of connecting Haitians worldwide seeking to share skills, resources and ideas to help Haiti out of its crises.

“Independence Day symbolizes collective decision-making,” Karyll Hyacinthe, founder and chairman of the organization, told The Haitian Times about the launch date. “This platform is about assembling, organizing and governing ourselves as a diaspora community.”

As Haitian professionals, trade workers and university graduates continue to leave the country amid its overlapping political, security and humanitarian crises, some in the diaspora like Hyacinthe are experimenting with digital tools to coordinate Haiti’s recovery. They see digital technology — from automated bots and real-time messaging to global data mapping — as a means to help organize the roughly 2 million Haitians abroad into a structured network capable of supporting solutions to problems back home. Particularly because, Hyacinte and others say, it’s not a question of whether the diaspora should participate in Haiti’s rebuilding efforts, but rather a matter of how.

Digital response to diaspora fragmentation

About 2 million Haitians live outside of Haiti, according to World Bank estimates as of 2024. Combined with data from various sources and including those born abroad of Haitian ancestry, the Haitian diaspora may have grown to as many as 4.5 million people over the past 30 years. Its largest populations are in the United States, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Chile, Brazil, France, Mexico and the Bahamas. 

Remittances, money sent home by Haitians abroad, remain Haiti’s economic lifeline — exceeding $4 billion in 2024 alone, according to the country’s central bank. Long accounting for roughly 20% to 30% of the country’s gross domestic product, a 2022 United Nations Development Program study found that remittances are more than 100 times Haiti’s foreign direct investment and quadruple its exports.

In recent years, many economists and researchers have recommended that such resources be organized beyond financial transfers. One 2023 study by Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs recommended such initiatives as a way to help break the cycle of aid dependency.

“Instead of solely being used for immediate consumption,” explained economist Kesner Pharel, “these funds would better help develop Haiti’s economy if they were redirected toward equity investments.”

For dyaspora.ht’s leaders and others, digital platforms can be that strong bridge. The goal, Hyacinthe said, is to build a “lasting bank of Haitian human capital abroad.” Its system combines the app, site and automated bots to facilitate discussions, conduct surveys and connect users, based on their skills, interests and location. 

During its current initial phase, the platform focuses on collecting data — mapping Haitian professionals and identifying areas where they are willing to contribute expertise or resources. Through a survey on the app, users can list their professions, skills, interests and willingness to support projects in Haiti. 

“Once we understand who we are and what we can contribute, we can begin to coordinate action,” he said. “Resources alone are not enough. They must be organized and aligned with priorities.”

Another initiative using digital technology to connect diaspora and local resources is Kaw Academy, a digital trades training school and online learning platform operating entirely in Haitian Creole.

In its second year, the platform has already reached over 150,000 students across Haiti and the diaspora, offering training in digital marketing, project management, web design, business development and other multiple fields. Testimonies collected so far indicate that many students had secured freelance contracts, launched small businesses or obtained international certifications after completing courses.

“This shows that online education, when accessible and taught in Creole, can have immediate, tangible impacts on Haitians,” said Mike Bellot, founder of Kaw Academy.

In Illinois, Creole Solutions, the translation and interpretation company, has secured collaborations with Meta and other global platforms to fully integrate Haitian Creole into the digital world. To reach its goals, the company is working with others to standardize the language, a long-awaited goal many say can strengthen literacy rates across Haiti and the diaspora.

Existing groups leveraging digital 

Across communities, Haitian groups already contribute to investment networks, entrepreneurship programs and innovation initiatives to benefit Haiti and Haitians. Most use existing digital platforms to raise awareness, brand reputation and funds. Yet, the lack of governmental structure remains a barrier to solutions. 

Diaspora engagement groups such as Haiti Renewal Alliance (HRA) have spent more than a decade organizing business expos, investment forums and development partnerships linking diaspora professionals with Haitian institutions.

Organizations such as  CIDEH, which enables registration on its site, support Haitian entrepreneurs and small businesses both in Haiti and abroad. The Haitian Diaspora Fund has raised more than $2.4 million for its “Haiti 2040” project, partially through online donations, to promote long-term development strategies through diaspora participation in infrastructure and social projects. 

Similarly, Ayiti Community Trust, founded in South Florida, seeks to create a sustainable funding source for Haitian-led organizations working in civic education, environmental protection and entrepreneurship. The Georgia-based Federation of Haitian Chamber of Commerce was also recently established to amplify the collective economic voice of Haitian entrepreneurs and foster transnational business opportunities.

Still, a growing number of initiatives promoting ambitious development plans for Haiti are raising concerns about transparency and credibility, especially when they rely heavily on slick digital presentations but offer little verifiable information. For example, the Haitian Diaspora Fund presents an appealing and timely vision at face value. 

However, closer investigation reveals troubling gaps: the organization’s website appears largely composed of bot-generated graphics and demo content, with basic transparency markers missing. There is no reliable way to contact the listed board members; the phone number and email provided do not work, and no physical address is available. These practices risk damaging trust within diaspora communities that are already cautious about where their financial contributions go. 

Experts: Structural challenges still need to be addressed

However, sociologists and political scientists have said, these programs have yet to show collective transformation in Haiti as the hurdles of funding constraints, political instability and limited coordination with government persist. Similarly, the promise of digital-based platforms faces significant limitations.

Guilaine Brutus, founder of The Knowledge Project CIC, an England-based cultural organization, said while digital technologies make it easier to connect across borders, they can also create fragmented communities rather than coordinated movements. Online engagement sometimes replaces institution-building, diaspora initiatives can become disconnected from realities in Haiti and digital spaces may amplify political and social polarization, she says.

Brutus added that diaspora initiatives – digital or otherwise – must focus on building partnerships, sharing resources and bridging gaps with the diaspora and locals in Haiti.

“Many diaspora initiatives operate in parallel without a shared framework or long-term strategic alignment,” Brutus told The Haitian Times. “To be effective, these initiatives must turn dispersion into coordinated collaboration and structured collective action.”

Dyaspora.ht’s founders acknowledge those challenges.

“We are not claiming work to save Haiti alone,” Hyacinthe said. “Our goal is to create the conditions for Haitians everywhere to work together strategically.”

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