Earth Day with GOALS Haiti: A Day That Starts with Our Youth
Every April 22nd, people around the world come together to celebrate Earth Day—a day dedicated to raising awareness about our planet, the challenges it faces, and the urgent need to protect it. For GOALS Haiti, Earth Day is more than a global event—it’s a meaningful opportunity to inspire youth to care for the land that sustains their families, their communities, and their future.
In rural Haiti, the environment plays a central role in everyday life. Clean water, healthy soil, and stable weather patterns are essential for agriculture, food security, and overall well-being. Yet, environmental challenges like deforestation, erosion, and waste pollution continue to threaten livelihoods and public health. That’s why it’s crucial for the next generation to understand the value of environmental stewardship and take an active role in creating sustainable change.
We use sports, education, and leadership development to empower youth—not just as students, but as environmental advocates. Through community clean-ups, community gardens, tree planting, and hands-on lessons about conservation, our programs teach young people that even small actions can make a big difference. By fostering a deep respect for the environment today, we’re helping youth in Haiti become the leaders who will protect it tomorrow.
Our agronomist who manages our environmental programs and teaches youth about the environment says that “We celebrate Earth Day to show a positive signal in the community through our tree planting and recycling efforts. We need to have a conscience for the earth and especially the soil we plant in. By teaching the kids how to plant with diversity to not reduce the soil quality we ensure to conserve the organic matter. Our tree planting efforts provide much needed food diversity, shade and the roots of the trees reinforce the ground and protect against flooding and soil erosion. Everyone has a role in protecting the environment because everyone pays the price if the environment degrades.”
Many of our youth come from farming families, where the land means survival. They’ve seen firsthand how flooding, drought, or polluted water can impact their homes. So, when they plant trees or help build a school garden, it’s not just an activity—it’s personal. It’s about protecting what they love and investing in their future.
This Earth Day, we’re celebrating the kids in our programs—the ones who show up early to dig in the dirt, who remind their friends to reuse plastic bottles, who dream of becoming environmental engineers and teachers. They are the heart of GOALS Haiti, and they are the reason we believe in a brighter, cleaner future.
Happy Earth Day—from all of us, especially the young leaders already making a difference