Images of celebration and hope

[ This message from OSDE is presented by What If Foundation on their behalf, until they can develop a website of their own. The content and photos are created by OSDE staff in Haiti. To have updates sent directly to you, join the OSDE Email List. ] 

Dear friends,

It is with great joy and emotion that I share with you these photos from the celebration of the 26th anniversary of the Lamanjay Food Program. These images capture more than a moment; they reflect the love, strength, and unity that live within our community. Despite the challenges we face, there is always hope, and that hope can be seen in the smiles of the children, in the warmth of the families, and in the spirit of togetherness that filled this special day.

We were truly happy to celebrate this milestone, and even happier to know that you are part of this journey with us. Your presence is felt in every meal shared, in every smile, and in every moment of joy.

We hope these photos allow you to feel the love that surrounds this program, just as we feel it every day.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support.

With deep gratitude,

Marie Roselie Jocelyn Luxama
Lamanjay Food Program Coordinator
OSDE  |  Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique

[ This message from OSDE is presented by What If Foundation on their behalf, until they can develop a website of their own. The content and photos are created by OSDE staff in Haiti. To have updates sent directly to you, join the OSDE Email List. ] 

Dear friends and supporters of OSDE,

Today, on March 19, we are celebrating a very special milestone: the 26th anniversary of the Lamanjay Food Program. What began in 2000 as a small act of solidarity has grown into a lifeline for children and families in our community.

For twenty‑six years, our team has worked with one clear purpose: to fight hunger and restore dignity through food. Today, thanks to your generosity, the Lamanjay Food Program is able to provide up to 4,500 to 5,000 nutritious meals per week to vulnerable families, children from the surrounding community, and students and staff here at the Father Jeri School. The number of meals can vary from week to week, depending on available resources, rising food prices, and urgent needs, but our commitment to serve with compassion and respect remains constant.

Behind every meal is a story of hope. Recently, a mother whose children receive meals through the program shared with us, “In difficult times, a mother hopes against all hope. These meals give me the strength to keep going for my children.” Her words reflect what we see every day.

I often say that I manage this program like a good mother — using every dollar carefully, stretching limited resources, and doing everything possible to help ease the hunger of our children and families.

Your support allows children to concentrate in class instead of worrying about their next meal. It allows parents to face each day with a little more peace, knowing that their children will receive something nourishing and warm. It strengthens our entire community and reminds us that even in the most difficult circumstances, solidarity can change lives.

At the same time, our work has become more challenging. Inflation, rising food prices, and ongoing security concerns affect both our ability to purchase food and the number of days we can distribute meals. Equipment wears out and must be replaced, and emergencies often require us to draw from the same limited funds dedicated to food. Yet, despite these obstacles, the need continues to grow—and so does our determination to serve.

As we celebrate 26 years of the Lamanjay Food Program, we kindly ask for your continued support. Your donation through the OSDE Haiti Fund directly helps us provide meals, protect vulnerable families, and sustain this essential program in the midst of uncertainty.

Thank you for standing with us for so many years. Your generosity feeds not only bodies, but hope, courage, and the future of our children.

With gratitude,

Marie Roselie Jocelyn Luxama
Lamanjay Food Program Coordinator
OSDE  |  Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique

[ This message from OSDE is presented by What If Foundation on their behalf, until they can develop a website of their own. The content and photos are created by OSDE staff in Haiti. To have updates sent directly to you, join the OSDE Email List. ] 

Dear Friends and Donors,

I would like to extend my deepest thanks to each of you for your continued generosity, trust, and commitment during this important time of transition to the new OSDE Haiti Fund with the Boston Foundation. Your faith in our mission and in the people we serve is deeply meaningful to our entire community. Knowing that you continue to walk alongside us gives strength, encouragement, and stability to families who face very difficult daily realities in Port‑au‑Prince.

Your support is not simply financial. It represents compassion, solidarity, and hope for children, parents, and vulnerable individuals who depend on the OSDE Food Program and the Father Jeri School for nourishment, safety, and opportunity. In a city marked by ongoing insecurity and uncertainty, these programs remain steady sources of care and dignity. Each hot plate of food that is served and every child welcomed into a classroom reflects your generosity in action.

I would like to share a brief moment that deeply touched our team. One morning in November, a young student arrived before meal service had begun. He quietly asked if he could eat early because he had not eaten since the previous morning and felt extremely weak from hunger. We immediately served him a hot plate of food. After eating, he looked at us with tears in his eyes and said, “Thank you, thank you so much. I was so hungry.” That simple moment reminded us how urgent the needs are and how powerful your support truly is in restoring strength, dignity, and hope.

Today, through the OSDE Food Program and the Father Jeri School, we continue to serve thousands of meals each week while providing education and daily structure for children who rely on these programs. For many families, these services represent a rare sense of stability in an environment that often feels unpredictable and unsafe. Your partnership allows us to remain present, responsive, and committed, even as challenges evolve around us.

As we begin this new chapter of direct communication between OSDE and our donors, we look forward to writing to you to share stories, reflections, and updates from the field. It is important to us that you feel connected to the lives you are touching and the progress you are helping to make possible.

Thank you once again for standing with our community, for believing in our mission, and for continuing to offer hope where it is needed most. Together, we are building resilience, dignity, and brighter possibilities for the families we serve.

With gratitude,

Rosie Luxama
Food Program Director
OSDE  |  Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique

Soon, Rosie will be writing the first OSDE email to all who join the new OSDE Email List, and that’s why I’m writing to you now. I want to make sure you can get her updates so you can see photos like these — pictures that show the difference you’re making for the children in Ti Plas Kazo. 

Now that it’s 2026, the only way you’ll continue to receive updates about OSDE’s food and education programs is for you to join the OSDE Email List.

Signing up is easy and takes just a few seconds on our website — you just enter your name and email address, press a button, and that’s it.

The list will be hosted and managed by the What If Foundation in 2026 as part of the transition to the new structure. We’ll be working with OSDE to help them put out communications until they’re set up to do this on their own with the help of their new partner, the Haiti Development Institute. But unless you’re on the new list, OSDE won’t have a way to share program updates with you.

I hope you’ll join me in signing up for the OSDE Email List so you can stay connected to the programs you’ve helped make possible. 

With gratitude,

Margaret Trost
Founder and President
What If Foundation

We’ve crossed the threshold into a new year and a new beginning for OSDE/Na Rive. Thank you for being on this journey with us and for your support of this historic transition to a new structure to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the food program and Father Jeri School. So much has fallen into place these last few months:

The new OSDE Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation is working well and receiving donations from the What If Foundation donor community. Thank you for embracing this new funding structure! Your ongoing support is what will make it possible for the food and education programs to continue to bless the children in Ti Plas Kazo in 2026 and for years to come.

The Haiti Development Institute’s capacity building work with OSDE is underway. The team at HDI has designed a training program for OSDE focused on governance, financial management, fundraising, communications, and partnership development. OSDE has told me how grateful they are to have HDI’s specialized training and guidance, especially now as they navigate the complex challenges they face in Port-au-Prince.

Rosie will soon be writing OSDE’s first 2026 program update. Communications about the programs will be coming from OSDE going forward, and they are ready to step into this role. So I’m hopeful that if you haven’t already, you will join the OSDE Email List to stay connected to the programs you’ve helped make possible.

Margaret and Rosie in 2010, four months after the earthquake

With the new partnership arrangement solidly in place, the process of winding down the What If Foundation has begun. I will remain as Board Chair and President in 2026 to provide support for the transition as needed. And then, likely at the end of this year, the board and I will lovingly close the What If Foundation as a California nonprofit organization — with our hearts full of gratitude for you and the What If donor community, for OSDE, and for all we’ve accomplished together.

Twenty-six years ago this month, I met Father Jean-Juste and heard his vision for a food program for the hungry children in Ti Plas Kazo. It’s been an extraordinary journey ever since — one I could never have imagined. Grace, miracles, faith, and the power of love have guided this work and continue to guide it as OSDE steps into their new chapter.

Thank you for being a part of this “circle of love” as Rosie calls it, and for continuing on this journey with OSDE.  Their vital work is as important as ever, helping to keep hope alive and shining a bright light in the midst of extremely difficult times.

With love and gratitude, piti piti na rive,

Margaret Trost
Founder and President
What If Foundation

As this transformational year comes to a close, I’m full of gratitude for the outpouring of love and support that the What If Foundation donor community is showing for OSDE/Na Rive as they step into their new chapter. 

Katty Dorlean, OSDE’s Communications Director, wanted me to share these words with you about the transition and their determination to keep the food program and Father Jeri School going strong:

“As we move into this new phase with the Haiti Development Institute and the OSDE Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation, I see it as an opportunity to build on the strong foundation we’ve created together over all these years. I believe this new structure will allow for greater sustainability and local ownership, which is essential for long-term change.

This transition represents more than just a shift to the new fund. It’s a chance to deepen this important work, strengthen local leadership, and continue making a real difference in people’s lives. I’m hopeful and excited about what lies ahead. Thank you for your continued commitment and for walking this journey with us.”

Katty with students at the Father Jeri School

If you’ve already made a gift to the new OSDE Haiti Fund, thank you! And if you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll join me in supporting the new fund so that the food program and the Father Jeri School remain a beacon of light and hope for many years to come.

This is the most significant new year we’ve ever experienced at the What If Foundation, as we launch the new structure and begin the process of winding down the organization. It has been a great honor and a true joy for me to walk this journey with you and with OSDE over all these years.

Thank you for your love and support, and for bringing great hope and promise to this new beginning. 

With love, gratitude, and New Year’s blessings,

Margaret Trost
Founder and President
What If Foundation

P.S. – Please remember that beginning in 2026, the updates you’ll receive about the food program and the Father Jeri School will be written by OSDE — so I hope you’ll be sure to sign up for the new OSDE Email List.