Our History

AHVED — Association des Haïtiens Vivant à l'Étranger pour le Développement — is incorporated in Florida as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Founded by Pauline Jean Simon and a coalition of Haitian diaspora leaders, AHVED begins as a network with one mission: organize Haitians abroad to serve families at home and in the United States.

AHVED constructs a schoolhouse in St. Marc, Haiti, serving children from surrounding villages who previously walked up to 5 kilometers each way for an education. The school provides a stable learning environment for hundreds of elementary-age children — many of whom had never had access to a permanent classroom.

Following the catastrophic January 12 earthquake, AHVED mobilizes the diaspora for rapid relief. Over the following months, AHVED organizes 6 medical missions to Haiti, providing care to over 3,000 patients. Diaspora networks raise funds, coordinate volunteers, and work alongside doctors and nurses in devastated communities.

AHVED establishes its first Florida community programs — ESL for Beginners, financial literacy workshops, and health education sessions — primarily serving Haitian and Latino immigrant families in Fort Myers. The Community Support Center begins offering resource navigation, referrals, and direct assistance in Haitian Creole, English, French, and Spanish.

AHVED's annual Back-to-School campaign grows from a single event to a multi-city initiative. School kits, health screenings, food distributions, and immigration assistance reach families in Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Immokalee, Palm Springs, Fort Pierce, and Orlando. Santé Plus Medical Center becomes AHVED's health partner — providing on-site physicals and screenings at every event.

AHVED expands to three permanent community support centers across Florida: Fort Myers (3822 Broadway, Suite C), Port Saint Lucie (6845 S US HWY 1), and Lake Worth (210 S Dixie Hwy). The centers serve as hubs for navigation, referrals, and direct assistance — forming one of the most geographically distributed Haitian diaspora support networks in the state.

AHVED formally launches Konbit Pou Sove Ayiti — a grassroots civic organizing movement — and CANA (Christian Alliance for a New Ayiti) as distinct platforms under the AHVED institutional umbrella. The Back-to-School campaign serves over 800 families across six Florida cities, with 404 participants in Fort Pierce, 210 families in Palm Springs, and 68 in Orlando. Medical teams provide eye screenings, physicals, and mammogram services at every stop.

AHVED and Santé Plus Medical Center deliver the largest Back-to-School campaign in AHVED history: July 25–27, covering Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, and Immokalee. Over 900 students receive school kits. Hundreds of families receive food. Free health screenings, physicals, and mammograms are provided on-site. Bilingual teams serve Haitian Creole and Spanish-speaking families simultaneously.

AHVED launches the Konferans TÈM series — live virtual dialogues bringing together diaspora leaders, experts, and organizers around topics critical to Haiti's future. The platform grows. The mission deepens. 18 years in, AHVED remains committed to the same vision: organize the Haitian diaspora, serve families in Florida, and build a stronger Haiti — neighborhood by neighborhood, family by family.