This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Last year, during their first visit to Haiti, the owners of One Solar couldn't help but notice that the distressed people of the Western hemisphere's poorest nation always looked like they were going places — without any destination.
"We'd see them walking everywhere — 10 deep in places — but where were they going?" they said.
The devastated nation, which has been ravaged by storms, corrupt officials and a depressed economy, seemed to them like a nation on the move, but with nowhere to go.
Better education, they hope, could be a goal for many of those people. One Solar is working toward helping children through Haitian Roots, a non-profit dedicated to helping children in Haiti pay for school. The nonprofit organization, which is located in South Ogden, was created 10 years ago by a Haitian police officer who fled the country, the owners said.
"Going down there and seeing the potential of those children was amazing. They have the same potential as any child here in America, but they just don't have the same opportunities," they said.
The average annual income in Haiti is roughly $600, while the cost for sending a child to school for the year is about $300. Those kinds of costs keep many families from sending their children to schools in Haiti, and contribute to the nation's 15 percent literacy rate.
"The idea is to help that country through education and that's the most important thing," they said.
The owners of One Solar said they felt compelled to help Haitian Roots when they learned about the plight those children there face every day. They have recently traveled to Haiti again to help out for a second time.
"I'm sure everyone has felt this way at one point in their lives, but I started talking about it and it hit me like a ton of bricks," they said. "People say that 'No one chooses Haiti, Haiti chooses them.' Haiti chose me."
By organizing events — garage sales, fundraisers, sending out newsletters — the owners of One Solar said they were compelled to help for very personal reasons.
"We dove into Haitian Roots and it has changed our entire world and our entire outlook. When I do things for Haiti, I forget my problems at home," they said.
After sponsoring children for years, the owners of One Solar decided to visit Haiti last year to see firsthand the country's devastation — and promise.
"A boy on the street came up to the car we were in and asked us for any food that we had … I asked for anything we had in the car and I handed him a granola bar," they said. "He was crying and blowing us kisses and kept thanking us and thanking us. It struck me that a simple granola bar meant the world to him."
Haitian Roots is a licensed 501c(3) non-profit designed to provide educational opportunities for Haitian students. The organization provides a continual path of academic education through the Haitian education system as well as additional instruction such as ESL and computer basics. For more information go to HaitianRoots.com.