Help launch the new fund for the food and education programs

We received an update earlier this month from Rosie Luxama, Na Rive/OSDE’s Food Program Director, and I want to share her words with you. After she and her team served hundreds of meals in the rains of Hurricane Melissa, she tells us about the difference that you’re making and her belief that the peace in Ti Plas Kazo right now is in part because of you and the presence of these love-filled meals.

“Despite the heavy rains, the mealtime was full of children and families. A mother, holding her small daughter’s hand, asked me to pass on a message of thanks to every donor, and a wish that the program will continue to be a living presence in the community. I pass on this ‘thank you’ to all the generous hearts involved. We want you to know that this food program brings peace to our community — it is an impediment to violence. So we believe that What If donors are therefore Agents of Peace. Thank you for every hand that supports our work.”

Rosie’s words are echoed in a reflection we received about the Father Jeri School from Katty Dorlean, Na Rive/OSDE’s Communications Director:

“The Father Jeri School is a beacon of hope in the storm.  It is a true sanctuary of learning and a springboard to the future for the young people of our community. Our students’ achievements, all the more precious in these challenging times of social-political instability, reflect their exceptional bravery and tenacity. Your donations help us maintain our educational mission and instill in our students the conviction that their aspirations can become reality.”

Your donations are what make this life-giving work possible.

As we come to the end of this historic year of transition and begin the shift to a new partnership arrangement for Na Rive/OSDE with the Haiti Development Institute and the Boston Foundation, I hope you will continue your support of these crucial programs so they can be a living presence in the community today and for years to come.

Father Jeri taught me early on to never underestimate the value of even one meal for a hungry child. Every donation you make, no matter how small or large, has an important impact and is part of creating the hope and peace Rosie and Katty describe so powerfully.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve always asked donors to send their gifts to the What If Foundation. But this time, as a key part of the transition plan, I’m asking you to give in a completely new way.

The OSDE Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation

There is a new fund that’s been set up at the Boston Foundation called the OSDE Haiti Fund. (OSDE is the acronym of Na Rive’s registered Haitian nonprofit name, Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique.) The OSDE Haiti Fund is exclusively designated to support the food and education programs in Ti Plas Kazo — and I’m hopeful you will join me in blessing this new fund with your donation.

If you’ve already made a gift to the new OSDE Haiti Fund, thank you for your support of these vital programs and this important transition!

If you haven’t yet donated to the new fund and will be making a gift for the first time, the Donate page on the What If website is the best place to start. This is where you’ll find the link to make online credit card donations on the Boston Foundation website, information about how to mail a check, and downloadable gift instructions in case you need more information. It’s also where you’ll find the form to sign up for the OSDE Email List.

The OSDE Email List
Beginning in 2026, the only way to receive updates from OSDE about how your donations are making a difference is to join the OSDE Email List. The list will be hosted and managed by the What If Foundation as part of the transition to the new structure, and we’ll help OSDE 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 sign up for the list, OSDE will not have a way to share program updates with you. Join the OSDE Email List ➞ 

New resource center  Naturally, you may have questions about the transition and the new fund, so we’ve built a special resource center for you on the What If website called The New Path. It has all the information you’ll need, including an extensive FAQ section. Visit the New Path page ➞ 

Thank you for taking time for these extra steps to help launch the new fund. And thank you for being a part of this expression of love and for supporting Na Rive/OSDE as they cross the threshold of this new beginning. Your gifts to the OSDE Haiti Fund will help ensure that this transition is successful and that Na Rive/OSDE’s essential work continues to bring nourishment, hope, and opportunity to children and families in Ti Plas Kazo.  

With love and deep appreciation,

Margaret Trost

Founder and President

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

[For 25 years, the What If donor community has supported our partner in Haiti, Na Rive (aka OSDE, the acronym for their registered Haitian nonprofit name, Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique).

But now there’s a new structure to support Na Rive/OSDE and their food and education programs. You can read Margaret’s letter explaining the transition below.]

Learn more about the new structure and the OSDE Haiti Fund on our New Path page.

Dear Friend,

I wish we could be together and talk instead of me sending you this long email. But since that’s not possible, I hope you’ll spend time with me here so I can share some important news. 

I’m writing to tell you about a transition the What If Foundation is going through this year, one that promises a new beginning and an exciting step forward for our longtime partner, Na Rive, and for the food and education programs in Haiti.

Since my return to the What If Foundation Board of Directors last year, and inspired by the 25th Anniversary of the food program, the board and I have collaborated with Na Rive to focus on these key questions:

How can we help ensure the sustainability of the programs in the years to come?

How can we support Na Rive’s continued success in a way that strengthens their autonomy, honors their vision, and broadens their opportunities?

And how can our beloved community of donors stay directly connected to the school and food program they helped create?d

This work has led us to a new vision for the future — and flowing from that, a new partnership arrangement for Na Rive, set to begin later this year. It’s a complete transformation of the way we’ve worked together, yet we all agree it’s a natural and exciting evolution.

You and everyone else in the What If donor community are an integral part of this new vision. Your love and support have made the food program and Father Jeri School possible all these years, and your continued support will help ensure this important transition is successful.

The first 25 years… humble beginnings and incredible growth

When I created the What If Foundation 25 years ago, soon after returning from my first trip to Haiti, I never imagined what was to come. Inspired by Father Jean-Juste’s vision of a food program for the children in Ti Plas Kazo, I prayed and asked the question, “What if I could help?” It wasn’t long before a miraculous $5,000 gift arrived, and that got everything started. 

That first check led to many other gifts over the years, including your generous donations, making the meals and scholarships possible. As the What If donor community grew, the food and education programs grew. Our partner Na Rive grew as well, becoming a Haitian nonprofit organization. Together, we built the Father Jeri School, and today 710 children are enrolled, and the food program serves about 5,000 meals every week — even in the midst of Haiti’s current heartbreaking crisis. Looking back, I’m in awe of what we’ve accomplished together.

The need for a new way to support Na Rive

The What If Foundation has always been a small organization, dependent on just 1-3 people to conduct our fundraising and administrative operations. For many of the last 25 years, this work largely depended on me, as is often the case for small founder-led nonprofits. But I’ve always known this wasn’t sustainable in the long term and made the programs in Haiti vulnerable. If something happened to me or another key person at the foundation, what would happen to the programs?

In recent years, we tried to move beyond this small, founder-led structure by hiring executive directors, but we haven’t had the resources needed to make the organization grow. Equally important, Na Rive is at a point in their evolution where they are looking for specialized training and additional support to help navigate the complex challenges they currently face in Haiti. 

As the board and I explored the issues about sustainability and the future of the programs, it became clear that a new way to direct resources to Na Rive is needed — one that doesn’t depend on the What If Foundation. I’m very happy to share that we have found what we were looking for.

A new path forward with the Haiti Development Institute (hdihaiti.org)

A few years ago, we were introduced to the Haiti Development Institute (HDI), which helps grassroots organizations in Haiti grow stronger and become more sustainable. Lavarice Gaudin, Na Rive’s Program Manager from 2009-2022, was in conversation with HDI about working together, but when he passed away unexpectedly, the plans were put on hold.

In 2024, we restarted those conversations, and this is what has led us to a completely new idea:

Create a partnership between Na Rive and HDI, with a designated fund for the food and education programs, then begin the process of winding down the role of the What If Foundation.

The board, Na Rive, and I all agree that this is the best way forward, and we feel it’s in harmony with what Father Jean-Juste and Lavarice would want for Na Rive and the children in Ti Plas Kazo.

Here’s a summary of how the new partnership arrangement will work:

• The Haiti Development Institute (HDI) makes it possible         

Formed as an initiative of The Boston Foundation, HDI is a well-respected Haitian nonprofit organization with a ten-year history of empowering community-based organizations in Haiti by providing training, coaching, and grantmaking services. HDI has offices in Boston at The Boston Foundation and in Haiti, with an expert team of Haitian staff working there to address the specific challenges that local nonprofits encounter every day.

HDI will serve as Na Rive’s capacity-building partner — in fact, they start working together this month. Then beginning January 2026, HDI will manage the routine transfer of donor funds to Na Rive for the food program and Father Jeri School.

There’s an excellent four-minute video about HDI on the homepage of their website that I highly encourage you to watch. (hdihaiti.org) When you do, I’m sure you’ll see why they are the ideal partner for Na Rive in this new transition.

• A new fund for Na Rive at The Boston Foundation (TBF)        

The Boston Foundation will create a special, designated fund that will make it easy for What If donors to continue supporting Na Rive and their programs in Haiti. Staff at TBF will work with HDI to manage the fund, which is exclusively for use by Na Rive. The fund will have its own webpage with a special donation form, and donors will receive charitable tax receipts for donations made online or by mail. The funds raised will be distributed to Na Rive in quarterly payments to support the food and education programs.

• Na Rive evolves and expands

Na Rive will continue the programs in Ti Plas Kazo while working closely with the team from HDI to strengthen their organizational capacity. HDI will also help them develop new partnerships that may lead to additional resources for the programs, lessening their dependency on the What If Foundation donor community. An HDI training course specifically designed for Na Rive is about to begin, with a focus on governance, leadership, financial management, fundraising, communications, and partnership development. In 2026, Na Rive will begin sending news and program updates directly to donors, rather than going through the What If Foundation. 

• A new path for our donors as the What If Foundation winds down

When this new structure is in place, it will be time to lovingly wind down the What If Foundation. But this won’t diminish Na Rive’s determination to keep the programs going, and it won’t lessen our donors’ desire to be of service and express their love and concern for the children of Haiti. My hope is that you’ll join me in continuing the flow of donations through the new fund at TBF. It’s a new financial structure, but the same life-giving meals at the food program, the same top-quality education at the Father Jeri School, and the same courageous, devoted team at Na Rive.

Timeline and next steps

The new fund for Na Rive at TBF should be ready to use in time for this year’s holiday fundraising season. In the coming weeks, I will send you all the information you need to begin donating in this new way. Until then, please continue to send your donations to the What If Foundation.

This transition will take time, so I’ll remain as Board Chair and President in 2026 to support the shift to the new fund at TBF and Na Rive’s partnership with HDI. When the transition is stabilized, likely towards the end of next year, we will close the What If Foundation as a California nonprofit organization — with our hearts full of gratitude as we celebrate this new beginning.

Na Rive’s message to you… they’re ready and determined

In a recent Zoom meeting with Na Rive’s leadership team, they talked about their readiness for this transition. Everyone on the team worked with Father Jeri and Lavarice in the past, and four members received college or technical school scholarships paid for by What If Foundation donors — so they deeply feel the value of the programs and are determined to keep them going for future generations.

Every time I speak with Na Rive, I am inspired by the strength of their faith, their profound courage, and their unwavering commitment to serve the children and families in their community. They all said they are looking forward to working with HDI and wanted to make sure I express to you how grateful they are for your support of what Rosie calls “this mission of the heart and great circle of Love”.

Natural endings and new beginnings… a prayer for grace and abundance

I know and deeply trust that this new beginning is full of promise for Na Rive and is an ideal next step on their journey. It’s also the next step on my journey, as I prepare to retire and bring the What If Foundation to a close.

I will always hold Na Rive and the children of Ti Plas Kazo in my heart, and I look forward to continuing my support of the food program and Father Jeri School as a donor through the new fund at The Boston Foundation. 

This work has always been guided by faith and love, and this is what guides me now. My prayer is that this new transition is full of grace and abundance, and that the food program and the school will continue to serve the children and families of Ti Plas Kazo for many decades to come.

Thank you for your love and support, your prayers, donations, and all the other ways you’ve encouraged me and supported the programs through so many seasons, including this new, hope-filled time of growth that is just beginning for Na Rive.

And thank you, too, for your time and thoughtfulness in reading this letter. As always, please feel free to email me with any questions.

With love and gratitude, piti piti na rive,

Margaret Trost
Founder and President
What If Foundation

Below is an update from Rosie about the food program, which continues to serve about 5,000 meals each week in the Ti Plas Kazo neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. Rosie describes some of the immense challenges that she and the Na Rive team encounter in their daily devotion to serve those who are hungry. What she shares is both heartbreaking and inspiring.

I am so grateful that you and I can be part of the What If Foundation donor community and have a direct way to bring hope and help to children in Haiti through the food program and the Father Jeri School.

With love and gratitude for your ongoing support,

With gratitude and love,

Margaret Trost, Founder and President

Dear What If Foundation donors,

This summer, despite the very dark times and many uncertainties, a profound light emerges through the food program. What deeply touches me is to see that even in a context of fear and instability, children still manage to smile when they receive a meal.

One day, a little girl who was displaced with her family because of armed violence, looked at me and said, “My Mom says that thanks to you, I don’t sleep on an empty stomach.”  These words were both a balm and a reminder of the immense weight we carry. 

It is emotionally exhausting to see that the crisis seems to be here to stay. But despite the sadness that sometimes fills us, we remain standing. This is no ordinary achievement — it is an act of resistance, collective courage, and profound love for our community.

As long as children need to eat, we will not give up. And we will never stop expressing our gratitude to you for supporting this work.   

With deepest gratitude, 

Rosie

Marie Roselie Jocelyn Luxama, Na Rive Food Program Team Leader

Your steadfast support, prayers, and love make Na Rive’s crucial work at the Father Jeri School and at the food program possible.   Thank you for your generosity and for holding Haiti in your heart.

With gratitude and love,

Margaret Trost, Founder and President

—

Dear What If Foundation donors,

Education is the key to success.  This is a truth our parents have passed down to us from an early age.  At the Father Jeri School, we are committed to keeping this conviction alive, even in difficult circumstances, so that every child can grow into an honest, dedicated, and hopeful citizen.

Today, as insecurity forces many families to flee their communities, children are being uprooted and deprived of stable guidance. In Ti Plas Kazo, we have chosen not to abandon them.  We open our doors to as many displaced students as we can, firmly believing that no one should be denied an education because of violence.

Marie Katty Dorlean Pamphil, Communications Director at Na Rive/OSDE

I received the beautiful letter below from Rosie Luxama, Na Rive’s team leader for the food program.  Rosie asked me to share it with you along with these photos of the special celebration that took place on the food program’s 25th anniversary in March.  Your love and support are felt deeply in Ti Plas Kazo and are a part of every meal that is served.  Thank you for bringing desperately needed hope, relief, and nourishment to countless children and their families.  

With gratitude and love,

Margaret Trost, Founder and President

—

Dear What If Foundation donors,

This 25th anniversary day was more than just a gathering; it was a moment of deep reflection, an extraordinary occasion.

Twenty-five years of commitment to the Ti Plas Kazo community, providing essential food support. This program has nourished so many children who, now grown, will never forget that first plate of food they received thanks to your generosity.

Marie Roselie Jocelyn Luxama, Na Rive Food Program Team Leader