Seeing a future

If you ever run into Jacky Meremable, whether it’s for the first time or the 100th, and you ask him how he’s doing or what he thinks about his life at any point in the conversation, his response will most likely be, “I am grateful” every single time. 

“My upbringing makes me grateful for where I am today and what I have,” said Jacky as we caught up over Zoom. Jacky’s upbringing brings us back to Gros-Morne, Haiti, a little village about four hours north of Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince. The second youngest of nine, activity was aplenty in the Meremable household. 

“There were always people around,” laughed Jacky. “Growing up, we played soccer a lot and just did all the wild things kids do.” 

When not playing soccer, Jacky’s head was in the books. At a young age, he saw the value of education and believed that if you worked hard in your studies, many opportunities would come in the future. 

“In Haiti, only about 10 percent of the schools are public,” shared Jacky. “The vast majority are private. If you live in a bigger city, you have a greater chance of going to a public school because there’s more. In my small town, there was just one high school that was public and that could only take about 5-10% of the kids that lived there.” 

Instead of attending high school in his hometown, Jacky moved to Port-au-Prince. It wasn’t uncommon for him to have over 100 students crammed in a classroom on any given day. 

“If you didn’t get to class in time for a seat, you would stand and take notes the whole day,” said Jacky. “It’s a different kind of education. You really have to want it. If you don’t want it, you won’t learn anything and it won’t make sense to you. The people who are determined to have an education will see the high value.” 

Unfortunately for many in Haiti, seeing that high value often times gets overshadowed with the hardships that come along with simply getting to and from school and the lack of jobs when schooling is done. 

“When you are in a country where there’s not as many job opportunities and no guarantee that you will go to University when you are done with high school, people start asking themselves why they should even try to go to school when it doesn’t even help them in the future, when they can’t see a future,” said Jacky. 

Jacky knew his future was going to be a result of the hard work he put into his studies. In 2010, the same year the earthquake hit Haiti, Jacky graduated from high school and passed his national exams. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school.

“Passing your national exams is a very big deal in Haiti,” said Jacky. “When I graduated, only 18% of students passed them.” 

A year later, Jacky had the opportunity to apply for a scholarship with the Scholarship for Education and Economic Development (SEED) program that was taking students from Haiti to the United States. There were about 400 applicants at the time Jacky applied. The application consisted of various exams and interviews before the program selected its 26 recipients…You better believe Jacky was one! 

“I remember the day I got selected,” recalled Jacky. “I went into my first meeting and was just so excited. They said, ‘You’re going to Wisconsin!’ And I was like, ‘What country is that?!’ It was a big shock for me coming to Wisconsin.” 

For two years, Jacky was in the Dairy State, adjusting to the cold and earning his Associates Degree as part of SEED. After receiving his degree, he returned to his home community in Haiti to start a project as required by SEED. 

Inspired by what his education had already afforded him and after seeing many of his peers drop out of school due to their economic situations, Jacky wanted to start something that helped others learn a new skill in order to make a little cash, which in turn, could help them return to school if they desired. Thus, Act-for-the-Future (AFTF) was born in 2013. 

“Act-for-the-Future is a sewing program that began with primarily high school dropouts in my hometown,” explained Jacky. “They learn how to make different kinds of clothing. After graduation from our program, some buy their own sewing machines and make clothes part-time while going to school and others do it full-time. The ones who can’t buy sewing machines come to the school to work.” 

Since it began, AFTF has had over 100 graduates, with its debut class all recruited by Jacky.  Today, AFTF is a 501(c)(3) and students are required to pay a small fee to attend. As Jacky notes, a fee helps keep students motivated. 

“If you invest in something, you want to get your money’s worth,” said Jacky. “We noticed a higher engagement when there was a fee associated with it. But if they don’t have the money, they can still always come and ask.” 

Being a 501(c)(3) has also helped employ instructors, provide materials and pay for those who aren’t able to do so. Like all organizations and companies, Jacky and the rest of the AFTF team are constantly evaluating to see what they can do differently to keep the community and its students engaged. 

“We hope to add a culinary school and music,” said Jacky. “All of that is a way to give back to the community. I can tell you many stories about how this school has helped students and their families. I won’t tell you that we’re changing lives, but we are making a difference.” 

AFTF works hard to source all of its material from locals to help support and grow the local economy - showing others by example that investing in one another and what you have can make a difference.

“I truly believe we are not responsible for all the poverty, but we are responsible to do something about it. At the end of the day, if each one of us were to do something, the world would be a better place,” said Jacky. “I’m always encouraged when I can talk to young Haitians and tell them my story. I tell them that yes, it might not look like there are no opportunities, but if you work and study hard, it’s possible.” 

So today, Jacky continues to do just that – showing others what is possible. He lives in Florida with his wife Anna where he works as an accountant and runs AFTF. He earned his Bachelor’s in Accounting from UW-Parkside and is now working toward a Masters through an online program at West Texas A&M University. His journey to all of that started many years before as a young boy growing up in Haiti, who was determined to make something of himself through his education. 

“I’ve lived on both sides,” said Jacky. “I know what it means to not have a lot – walk to and from school every day and have the same pair of shoes for a year, to the other side of having multiple pairs of shoes, a car and not having to think about money when you’re purchasing something. It makes me grateful and thankful for what I have. It all goes back to making a difference.” 

To learn more about AFTF, please visit their website here and like their Facebook page. If you are interested in contributing to the organization, monetary donations are always appreciated and more encouraged than donating materials, as AFTF works hard to source their materials from their local community and shipping costs are high. Hear more from Jacky discussing what it’s like to run a non-profit and what life is like in Haiti in the video above.