Estelle Dubuisson is a perfect example of a true leader. She couldn't bear the poverty she saw in her home town of Lascahobas , Haiti. With a doctor she founded a organization "Friends of the Children of Lascahobas , Haiti". The organization helps people by providing medical attention and education.They have almost finished building a hospital. Once every year a medical group including optometrists and surgeons visit Lascahobas.  

Lascahobas is an agricultural community in Haiti. Building a dam to generate electricity, flooded the bridge that people used a bridge to get to cities. The flooding also damaged the farmlands, people lost their homes, and as well as access to the cities. The flooding is done intentionally to generate electricity, but it is only functional for part of the day. Farmers have lost their only source of income making the community even poorer. Damage to the bridge also cut off access to hospitals in the city. Part of the blame for the poverty is caused by the politics in Haiti. At one time if people complianed they were arrested, killed and children were taken away from their families. Dissidents don't need to hide any more but the poverty remains.

Ms.Dubuisson was born in 1954. She was raised and educated in Haiti. She moved to the United States to make a better life for herself. Once she got here she realized that the violence, racism and discrimination in New York City was equal to or worst than that in her native country. Estelle attended a NYC community college. She also attended Manhattan Medical and Dental School to become a medical technician. Afterwards, she had gotten married and had two daughters and a son.

In 1972, Ms. Dubuisson returned to Haiti and saw the increasing poverty in Lascahoba. The people were dying of simple diseases, which would get worse due to the lack of medical attention. The women in Lascahobas often died giving birth. Children were born deformed and condemned to terrible diseases. People weren't aware that these conditions were avoidable and sometimes would tell the women that they couldn't have any children. Many times a family doesn't have money to go to the hospital or for a prescription. After seeing all the poverty in Haiti she said, " I have to give these people an ambulance." She took out a personal loan and also raised $8,000 at her job to pay for an ambulance. If Ms.Dubuisson had lived in Haiti, she might have accepted the poverty, but she has been in the United States and has seen people live "better" lives.

One way the organization, Friends of the Children of Lascahobas, Haiti helps people is by providing education for children. Before the organization began, only students from 9 to 12 years attended school. There were only 25 children in school, now there are over 200 children and they are starting a high school. The cost per child to go to school has gone up. Before it cost about $2 a year to pay for a child to go to school, now it cost $36 to register a child in school. Friends of the Children of Lascahobas, Haiti sponsor children so they can go to junior and high schools.

Because of the lack of medical attention children still had trouble learning. That's why Friend's focuses on medical attention. For example, two children dropped out of school because they were sick. People said that the children were not used to the food and that's what caused their stomachs to ache. The real reason was that they had malaria and were suffering from intestinal infections. The organization's goal was to build a hospital and they accomplished it. The hospital includes a clinic, a laboratory, maternity room, and four rooms for visiting doctors.

A nun in the high school, who later became the principal of the school, provided food for children going to the school. She told Ms.Dubuisson that she was feeding 500 children and Estelle replied "What about the children that don't go to school?"

There's more to be done....