Dear Friend of the What If Foundation,
I’ve been so moved by the outpouring of love and support that’s been shared since my September announcement about the What If Foundation’s transition and the new structure to support Na Rive and the food and education programs.
I’m writing now to be sure you have all the information you need about the transition, because soon I’ll be sending you our annual fall fundraising appeal — but this will be completely different from any other time I’ve written you in the past 25 years. Because instead of asking you to give to the What If Foundation, I’ll be asking you to give to the new designated fund for the programs:
The OSDE Haiti Fund sponsored by the Boston Foundation
This fund is the cornerstone of the new partnership arrangement to support the food program and the Father Jeri School — and because it’s completely new, I know you’ll have a few questions about it:
What does OSDE stand for? Why the Boston Foundation? What percentage of my donation will go to the programs? Where do I send my check? Can I give from my Donor Advised Fund? … and likely others, too.
To answer these questions and more, we’ve built a new resource center for you on the What If website called The New Path. It gives you all the information you’ll need about the transition and the new fund, with links to the new online donation page, downloadable gift instructions and check donation forms, and an extensive FAQ section.
Why we now refer to Na Rive as “OSDE”
I want to go ahead and answer the most common question we’ve heard from donors so far, which is about the name of the new fund and what OSDE stands for.
OSDE is an acronym for Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique — that’s Na Rive’s official name as a registered nonprofit organization in Haiti, and that’s the name used by the Boston Foundation for the new fund. We’ve always called them by their nickname, Na Rive, which comes from Father Jeri’s wise words of encouragement, “piti piti na rive“, the Haitian saying that has guided us over all these years that means “little by little we will arrive.” As a nickname, “Na Rive” worked well. But now it’s important to use their official Haitian nonprofit name, abbreviated as OSDE, for the new fund and in our communications to support the beginning of this new chapter.
An important thing to know about the transition to the OSDE Haiti Fund
Before you visit the New Path webpage, I want to highlight the most important thing to know about the transition to the OSDE Haiti Fund — and that is, when you give to the new fund for the first time there are two separate steps for you to complete:
Step 1: Give to the OSDE Haiti Fund
There are several different ways you can make your donation to the fund, and when you do, all of your personal information is securely maintained by the Boston Foundation, and they provide you with tax receipts and can help you with any questions about your transactions.
But unlike the What If Foundation, their role doesn’t involve sending you updates with news from OSDE about how your donations are helping children and families in Ti Plas Kazo — and that’s why we have Step 2.
Step 2: Join the OSDE Email List
Beginning in 2026, as the What If Foundation prepares to wind down, the only way you’ll be able to receive updates about the food program and the Father Jeri School is by joining the OSDE Email List. You can do this easily on our website’s new donate page.
The list will be hosted and managed by the What If Foundation as part of the transition to the new structure, and we’ll be working with OSDE to help them put out communications until they get set up to do this on their own with the help of their new partner, the Haiti Development Institute. But unless you sign up for the list, OSDE will not have a way to share program updates with you.
Your generosity is at the heart of this work
I love this photo. Katty Dorlean, OSDE’s Communications Director, sent it to us on October 6th, the first day of the new school year at the Father Jeri School, and it really captures the profound difference that you’re making in the lives of children in Ti Plas Kazo.
This beautiful building, which OSDE describes as a beacon of hope in the community, is where 800+ students, from Pre-K through high school, are receiving the transformative power of an education. And right next door is where Rosie and the food program kitchen team prepare and serve about 5,000 freshly cooked meals every week. And nearly all of this, from the very beginning right through today, has been funded almost exclusively by the donors of the What If Foundation.
While the fundraising structure is changing, nothing will change about the importance of your support. OSDE’s food and education programs still depend on the What If donor community’s generosity. But now, instead of your donations going through the What If Foundation, they’ll be going through the new OSDE Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation. And as each one of us supports the new fund, our donations will collectively add up to what OSDE needs to keep the programs going strong.
I look forward to continuing my own support of the food program and the Father Jeri School as a donor through the OSDE Haiti Fund, and I hope you’ll join me on this new path forward.
Thank you for supporting this important transition, and for visiting the New Path page on our website. And thank you also for your prayers for Ti Plas Kazo and all of Haiti. Many communities in the south of Haiti and other areas not far from Port-au-Prince have experienced great losses as a result of flooding from Hurricane Melissa. Rosie told me that they are safe in Ti Plas Kazo and that the food program continued to serve meals in the heavy rain. Our hearts are with them and all those affected in Jamaica, Cuba, and elsewhere by the storm.
With love and hope, piti piti na rive,
Margaret Trost
Founder and President
What If Foundation