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I am an international development worker with over two decades of experience living and working in Haiti, including 5+ years total time in-country since I first visited in 2002. I am fluent in the Haitian Creole language, and have strong relationships with the people and communities of the Jacmel area, along Haiti's Caribbean coast.
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I am co-founder and program coordinator of the Haitian Machete Fencing Project, an internationally recognized organization dedicated to preserving Haiti's traditional martial arts. As the only non-Haitian known to have mastered the esoteric art of Haitian Machete Fencing, I am featured in the award-winning documentary film Papa Machete, which I worked on a consultant from concept through post-production. My book Haitian Machete Fencing: The Avril Family Method, co-authored with Reginald Turnier and featuring photography by Charles Espey, is available for preorder from Strive Publishing.
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I am also co-founder and board member of the 501c3 nonprofit organization Cultural Capital Haiti, which supports grassroots projects in Haiti which address today’s urgent problems by building upon Haiti's rich cultural traditions. In place of the failed model of outsiders coming in with "solutions", we employ our extensive experience living and working in Haiti to identify, vet and fund Haitian-led initiatives which are already working to provide ecologically sustainable livelihoods, to improve the lives of women and girls, and to ensure that all children have access to the necessities of life. We run a lean central nervous system for a growing organism of doers, taking on the burden of financial oversight and legal affairs, so our partners can just concentrate on providing services.
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