For many of us who have committed our lives to building a more just and equitable society, the world seems to be shifting beneath our feet. We know valiant partners who have lost funding, families who are struggling as vital lifelines are disrupted, and committed workers who live in fear of job loss or relocation. The speed and unpredictability of these changes has left us feeling fractured and fragile.
But, let us be clear, at SOIL our core values are NOT up for debate, and like the radiant and proud country of Ayiti, we remain unbowed. Our commitment to justice, dignity, and love for Haiti has never waivered, nor will it, no matter the direction the winds of political change may blow.
As an organization motivated by a mission to increase access to sanitation for vulnerable populations, we firmly believe in the fundamental right to human dignity as a driving force for change. Our commitment to our clients remains unwavering. We will continue using every tool available to support the most vulnerable. We are proud to play a role in helping people build resilient futures for themselves and their communities, and being an active part of the social justice movement in Haiti and around the world.
And so, we do not shrink. Even as the world tells us to whisper instead of shout, we remain loud in our mission. We will continue to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace, we will stand firmly with marginalized communities near and far, and we will work harder to understand and dismantle the barriers that systemically entrap families into cycles of poverty.
At SOIL, we educate ourselves and seek out truth in order to become powerful-not in violence, but in vision. Because education is not meant to be safe. It is meant to set the world on fire.
The future lies in the hands of the teachers, the mothers, the youth, the dreamers, writers, creatives, and all of the other witnesses who meet in the spaces where social justice and tolerance are being nurtured. The future belongs to those who remain steadfast, ever shining their light on the road ahead and illuminating a pathway for others to find their way out of the darkness.
The aggregate of every toilet we install and each bag of compost we produce is a seemingly small act compared to the monstrosity of ignoble forces we're up against, but it is through our small individual actions that we will collectively change the world.
Together, we will forge a world where justice and human dignity are non-negotiables, and as simple and as natural as having a safe place to use the loo.
With love and in solidarity,
The SOIL team
