In an effort to encourage youth engagement and promote social change, Gilles Raharinandrasana, “Chief Social and Behavior Change” of UNICEF Haiti, recently undertook a visit to the Northern department of Haiti. His mission : meet the “U-report” clubs present in the 19 municipalities of the region These clubs, run by the Youth Development Initiative (IDEJEN), are at the heart of a program launched in 2023 to promote creativity among. young people and connect them to a global information network.
Accompanied by field representatives from IDEJEN, such as Philistin Sainsirin and Lenson Bien-Aimé, Mr. Gilles had the opportunity to discover the “U-report” clubs in several municipalities, including Quartier-Morin, Milot, Grande -Rivière du Nord, Bahon, Limbé, Bas-Limbé, Acul-du-Nord, and Plaine du Nord, among others, as part of this initiative which sees each young participant become a reporter for their community, capable of reporting an emergency by sending a simple message to 8090, thus making it possible to locate the emergency and transmit the message to the competent authorities.
Young participants expressed their satisfaction with the U-report program, congratulated UNICEF via IDEJEN for its implementation, while requesting additional support in the form of training or assistance in carrying out projects community. They also underline the importance of extending the U-report program to remote areas and areas considered “non-rights”, where young people need support to flourish and develop, but also acquire professional skills to better serve their community.
Gilles Raharinandrasana concluded his visit with an optimistic observation, highlighting the motivation of the young participants and seeing through their faces not only a promising future, but also a glimmer of hope for the development of their community.
Mackenson PHANOR
