Travelling from coast to coast

Helping coastal communities in Haiti deal with climate change is what Dorine does for a living.

Dorine, National Director of Climate Change Adaptation Project at UNDP Haiti, plants trees with community members.

In one sentence, what do you do at UNDP?

I coordinate a project that helps communities in coastal areas adapt to the effects of climate change.

How does your specific project change the lives of people in the developing world?

A woman working at nursery which provides plants for reforestation.

Hurricane Matthew showed us one more time how vulnerable we are to climate change — and how poor planning can exacerbate this. My project focuses on advocating for better planning and investment policies in coastal areas.

We work on concrete and sustainable initiatives like improving long-term access to nutritious food, providing support for community income-generating activities, improving access to water, and educating both individuals and the community about the important role they play in addressing climate change. This approach means people aren’t just receiving a benefit from the work we do — it means they become real players and feel empowered to bring about real change.

Tell us about a community member you’ve met who has benefited from this project?

Community members learn about the importance of planting and reforestation.

One of the project’s objectives was to improve drinking-water systems so that communities can easily access clean and safe drinking-water at kiosks.

One day I met a mother-of-two, and she told me how the project has immensely improved the living conditions of her family and her community. The hours spent walking to find water for cooking, drinking and household services are now spent doing more productive activities. Her children can now go to school on time, and their afternoons are being used for studying and playing with their friends. Also, since she can water her garden more often, she now harvests some vegetables for her family. Comments like this really inspire me, and give me the strength to continue doing what I do. This particular story is my gold medal!

If you were president of a climate-vulnerable country in your region, what’s one thing you would do to minimize the threat of climate change?

A woman helps with reforestation in southern Haiti.

I would start by having conversations with different sectors and industries about how we can bring our different skills together to fight climate change. I would also advocate for more international and national funding to for projects and initiatives that allow vulnerable communities to adapt to a changing climate.

As a child, what did you want to be when you ‘grew up’?

When I was a child, I wanted to become a teacher to help children learn and discover new things. To be part of this great adventure and see sparkles in their eyes once they understand the lesson in class. In some way, I’m doing that now by educating communities about the effects of climate change.

Mangroves planted on the Haiti coastline

What was your first-ever job? How did you end up working in climate change?

My first-ever job was with a private telecommunication firm as an Electrical supervisor. From my Engineering background, I did a study on implementing a hydroelectric power plant — and from that I started thinking green. I then obtained a Fulbright scholarship and pursued my Master degree on climate change and environmental studies at the George Washington University.

From this point, I knew I wanted to be part of initiatives that help people tackle the impact of climate change, such as the use of renewable energy. Once I finished studying, I started working at the Climate Change office of the Ministry of Environment at home in Haiti and realized how big the gap was between what I learnt at school, and the action I saw on-the-ground. I quickly became more and more interested in community action and real change, and I was inspired to help my country take the climate-smart road towards a better future.

What’s one action that people can take in their everyday lives to minimize the risk of climate change?

Reduce water use in your home and offices, and encourage others to avoid wasting this precious natural resource.

Finish these sentences:

My colleagues would describe me as…

… a passionate and hard worker; always looking for solutions.

By 2030, I want to live in a world that…

… is consuming more bio and healthy agricultural products, and applying smarter agriculture practices.