Konbit Ayiti Pwòp

Konbitism

The philosophy of Konbitism is rooted in the Haitian customs and habits of “head together” practiced throughout the country to cultivate a field, build a house, accomplish any task. It is this generous and spontaneous principle of mutual aid of the people that must be emphasized and encouraged to promote the unity of the people essential to development. It requires the participation of the local residents, of its youth too often dispersed and demobilized, of its diaspora very eager to contribute to the development of the country, especially of its native land.

“Konbitism was born on February 7, 1986, at the departure of the dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier.”

The people had loudly expressed their desire to UNITE to build a dignified and strong Haiti. Everything was called Konbit: Konbit pou netwaye lari, Konbit pou konstwi lekòl, Konbit to alphabetize, Konbit to reforest? For all, the word Konbit meant tetansanm, union, participation, cooperation, building together… In short: DOING TOGETHER. 

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The largest konbit was the KONBIT SOLIDARITY for the reconstruction of schools destroyed by political uprisings (1986). The participation was total and it was a great success: all the schools were rebuilt, also with the participation of the schoolchildren who sometimes brought a fetched rock to the river. This great movement to DO-IT-ALL gave birth to KONBITISM as the basis of the national social contract. Indeed, it was vain to fight around socialism, communism, capitalism, imported words and philosophies, empty of meaning for the national majority.

Why not give our social contract an evocative name for the majority of cooperation, participation and teamwork? Why not KONBITISM, with the sound of drums, solidarity, DOING TOGETHER?

Today, Konbitism is the basic concept of a Haitian society based mainly on COOPERATION and PARTICIPATION”.

Excerpt from the manual Morale Civic and Citizenship Education / Chuseries-débats – Actions by Odette Roy Fombrun in collaboration with Jean-Philippe Étienne.

Slideshow presentation of Konbitism

Télécharger (PPTX, 2.18Mo)

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Konbit Ayiti Pwòp (KAP)

image001On June 13, her 99th birthday, Mrs. Odette Roy Fombrun cried out in despair as she did not want to die, leaving Haiti a mess. She invited every Haitian to join her in a fight called “Konbit Ayiti Pwòp”.

She presented a sticker showing an open hand in front of a clean street which means: Kanpe! Kenbe lari pwòp! The Odette Roy Fombrun Foundation undertook the free distribution of the stickers and asked to stick them on the rear window of all your vehicles and on the doors of your companies.

Mrs. Fombrun congratulates all those already involved in street cleaning. She asks them to undertake sustainable actions for each neighborhood and each street.

She calls on entrepreneurs and artists to exploit waste to transform it into wealth, generate income and improve the environment.

Together, let’s make the big one « Konbit Ayiti Pwòp »

Viv Ayiti pwòp !

Odette Roy Fombrun

 

 

Konbit Petyonvil Pwop (KPP)