Hope on a String operates a community center in the region of Arcahaie, Haiti that is a physical space for community engagement and empowerment through music and performing arts.  We also provide music education classes at our partner schools in the Haitian education system.  With Hope on a String, individuals participate in music, dance, and performance classes, as well as skill-building workshops and grassroots development initiatives that respond to community needs and goals.  In our program, participants build hope, confidence, collective pride, powerful relationships, and skills needed to succeed.  Local organizations build critical social capital, positive synergies, and collaborate on mutual goals that advance the community’s interests.  Hope on a String invests in locally driven change, and ultimately seeks to have a long-term impact on a national level by developing a scalable model for social development in Haiti.

Anyone can benefit from music

You don't have to be smart, wealthy, well-connected, or even musically-talented to enjoy music.   If it's happening, all you need is to witness its power -- and listen.  In a country like Haiti, where the road to a brighter future often requires education, money, connections, talent, and luck, Hope on a String provides a spark of empowerment through music and that leads back to a strengthened community.

Music has the capability to heal deep emotional and psychological wounds

The frustration and grief of the 2010 earthquake further weakened Haiti’s social fabric, threadbare from two hundred years of social strife and corruption.  The expression of pain and suffering through music can heal wounds that hinder community unity and sustainable change.

Music gives people the opportunity for a voice

Whether performing or listening, anyone can identify with music. When a community joins together on a physical and emotional level around music, collective power exists.  With a strong voice, the community can determine its needs and take action to achieve its goals.

Lastly, music is the lifeblood of Haitian culture

 It is a foundation of Haitian creative expression and has been a stabilizing constant through a long history of chaos.  Hope on a String builds upon this rich musical tradition to bring about solidarity, unity, and hope for the future

To create an impactful and virtuous cycle of empowerment

Hope on a String's mission is to foster an environment of social transformation in Haiti through community participation in music.  As a primary pillar of Haitian culture, music is a powerful vehicle that can be leveraged to achieve this goal.  It is universally accessible, touches hearts and minds, and gives voice to the powerless.

Our impact is felt when