Donna King, Honorary Board Member

Donna King brings with her several years of experience working on volunteer boards from those focused on students with special needs to breakfast programs and co-operative housing initiatives.  She began working in the developing world in 2007 as the Assistant Director of a foundation that provided public education, testing and counseling to people living with HIV.  She served as an advisor to the UNDP’s Widow and Orphan Programs in that capacity and is involved in several local projects in her community.  Her prior history in establishing the policies and guidelines for non-profit agencies has allowed her to transfer these skills and knowledge to our organization and programs.Donna is a teacher who lives in Canada and is the mother of three children, two of whom have accompanied her to Haiti on several occasions.  She and her son, Luke, initiated the Livestock Program on their very first visit to the school and later, the Apiary Program.    Her main interest is in community development, having long ago realized that the health and well being of children is entirely dependent on the ability of the parents to sustain themselves and thereby their families.  Identifying and promoting these opportunities is a passion that she shares whole-heartedly with the HEART team.
Donna is also very supportive of the International Learning Partnerships, having developed and acted as liaison for our partner schools in Canada.  These collaborations encourage positive cultural exchanges and allow for an open dialogue to develop in their common language.  An example of this is when her daughter’s school in northern Ontario sang the Haitian national anthem on Flag Day to our school in Haiti via a Skype call.   Our students had also been prepared to sing the Canadian anthem back to them in French, proving to be a moving and enriching experience for all.   Another positive outcome of this exchange was the donation of all of the French library materials, curriculum and and classroom resources.In her role as a Board Advisor, her efforts are focused on our goal to provide a world-class education to our students. She envisions them as the future leaders of Haiti, propelling their country forward into an era of self-governance and self-determination.