Founding Story
A Vision Realized
Overture was born in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, which devastated the southern department of Haiti in October 2016. Our team comprised southern Haiti’s first response to the crisis by sheltering displaced families, administering outreach services to rural communities, surveying damage, engineering and managing over $2M in new construction projects and ultimately providing relief to thousands of families and children.
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After spending countless days, weeks and months with families struggling under devastating conditions, our heartbreaking discoveries revealed:
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Many Haitian parents, living in rural communities, have little to no education,
are illiterate, and struggle day-to-day just to provide a meal for their family.
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Their families are oppressed by multiple layers of corruption and frequent intimidation by gang violence.
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With few economic opportunities, the cycle of poverty for families continues in the most vulnerable society in the world.
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Foreign aid only contributes to breeding dependency by crushing Haitian businesses and creating dependence on aid. For instance, after Hurricane Matthew, Haiti experienced a surge of food, housing and medical relief, which unfortunately, did not provide permanent solutions for families or communities.
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Motivated by a shared faith in God, these discoveries, along with the partner relationships we cultivated throughout our emergency response efforts, inspired our mission and ultimately led us to develop strategies and values-based approaches that keep children with their families and empower the people of Haiti to improve their own lives independent of aid. Most Haitian families readily embrace the challenge. It is our privilege to continue in this work.
Our Name and Logo
The word “Overture” is best described as an opening or introduction to something more substantial, and is most familiarly associated with orchestras or operas as an opening to a more meaningful and extended piece of work. This is why the name “Overture” was chosen - to represent an introduction to opportunities for a meaningful life without poverty. And to set the stage for how fundamental change will be approached.
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Overture's logo was forged in the crucible of our Hurricane Matthew response. The hurricane graphic in our logo symbolizes our origin and commitment to sustainable development. Through this experience, we learned valuable lessons that ultimately shaped our mission strategies. We have a passionate desire for families to become self-sufficient and care for their families. And we are motivated not to repeat the mistakes made by so many foreign aid agencies in Haiti that result in even more devastation and continue the vicious cycle of poverty.