Ron and Adam at our OTB headquarters in California
Ron came on staff with Outside the Bowl Haiti in April of 2015. Even before he was OTB’s Haiti Country Director, he knew about the important work of Outside the Bowl. Ron has had a passion for supporting people in his community since he was young. It was a value his mother instilled in him and his siblings. Her mantra was to “be loving, share and show respect.”
Raised in what he calls a “middle, middle-class family,” Ron was blessed to have a shower, flushing toilet and a daily meal. Yet he knows what true hunger feels like and can recall many days he suffered through hunger pangs. He knew the only way to make a better life for himself was through education. So when given the chance to attend school, he knew he had to seize the opportunity. “My siblings and I focused on God first and school second.” “Focusing on school would give us the chance to be successful and ultimately be able to help others.”
Through hard work and determination, Ron received both undergraduate and master’s degrees. “Did you know that 85% of well-educated Haitian people live outside the country because of security issues? If all the educated people leave Haiti, our country will go even further downhill. There will be no hope.” Though he too could leave, Ron feels a strong calling on his life to stay in Haiti, empower youth and be there for people who need help.
There is a common saying that “actions speak louder than words” and Ron has decided to live out his faith by moving his family to a rural town outside of Port au Prince. “When we moved there, we saw kids defecating outdoors and we saw there was a real need for something as basic as toilets. My wife and I were able to build 5 toilets for people to use in this community. It’s all about sharing resources to make the community better for everyone.” This is exactly why he’s so proud to be involved with Outside the Bowl. “Feeding people through partner organizations is the perfect strategy to meet the real needs of hungry people in Haiti. It’s so much easier to share the gospel when you’re actually helping people, loving on them and being sensitive to their needs. We do this by partnering with local organizations that are doing great work. Almost every day, one of our partners tells us how much our food has helped them or how much the kids love it. It is really neat, it makes me so happy.”
We feel so blessed to have Ron as part of the Outside the Bowl team.
Help staff members like Ron reach other communities around the world by supporting the construction of our eighth super kitchen in 2017. All contributions, large and small, make a difference.