Profile – Mildrède Béliard

Haitians struggle to move on with their lives in the aftermath of January’s earthquake. The woman who supports CARE’s effort to help her people heal could easily write volumes about her own life. She documents CARE’s emergency response and long-term development programs by gathering personal stories to share with journalists and CARE supporters worldwide.

Mildrède Béliard, 32, is dedicated to making a difference in Haiti. The longtime journalist, most recently a press officer at Haiti’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs, joined CARE Haiti four months ago, shortly after the quake. At CARE, Mildrède says Haitians have an active role and decide what’s best for them. She deeply believes in the mission. “It’s more than a job,” she says, beaming. “It’s a personal investment.”

After her own experiences during the earthquake, Mildrède could easily have given up hope. Her family home, which their widowed mother had struggled so long to provide, was destroyed. Mildrède spent many hours searching for survivors in the rubble of her neighborhood. At one point, she helped recover the body of her boss and mentor, the director general of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.

This tragedy inspired Mildrède to refocus her energy. Her goal was to help improve the lives of women and girls in Haiti. She says she could leave the country for a more comfortable life overseas, but, “Leaving the country when the situation is at its worst would be a betrayal. It’s in times like these that you learn what guts you have,” she says.

Mildrède was always a fighter. She followed in her parents footsteps. Her father died in prison when she was nine years old for speaking out against the Duvalier régime. Her mother was left to raise eight children on her own and forced to sell her meager belongings to survive. Mildrède wanted to contribute somehow. She studied hard and earned a scholarship to a prestigious school. The principal was impressed and took her under her wing. Mildrede’s mother was offered a job in the school cafeteria.

“I am grateful to my mother. She did all she could to raise us; she fought to give us a proper education,” Mildrède says. “My mother taught us to love humanity. Even when we had no food, she would find some tiny bit for a starving neighbor. ”

Mildrède has clearly had an impact on the people she helps. “My first striking experience was an interview with a teenager who had been raped,” she says. Mildrède comforted the young girl, which encouraged her to lodge a complaint in order to prevent other women from being victimized. Most rape survivors remain silent. This experience renewed Mildrède’s determination to fight for the future. “Being an active part helped me to start again, to regain confidence in myself. I am not alone.”

Click here to learn more about what CARE is doing in Haiti.