Edlin’s Story

Inspiring female leadership in Haiti

“God will give you all you need to make it happen. You can’t get discouraged when things get tough. You have to be patient so you can get where you want to be.”

M rs. Edlin Val plays an essential role in the betterment of her community. She is a wife and mother to two growing boys, ages six and eleven, the president of a group of women in the community of Maliarette, she has duties with the school, and she also is a member of the group that oversees her church.
She believes that a good leader should have the community’s best interests at heart, and be able to tell others when they are headed down the wrong path. “In order for me to be a good leader, the first thing I need to do is trust God. I must know God and I need to pray a lot about becoming a good leader, then I can be a leader.”

One of the goals of Edlin’s women’s group is to help the members have a closer relationship with God in order to help them become better leaders in their own communities. The women become more receptive once they realize that they must be the change that their community needs. Additionally, the group has helped buy goats and cows for each family to assist the women in working the land to grow crops.

Edlin feels that the local meetings put on by Many Hands for Haiti are the best thing that has happened to the community. Attendees are able to educate themselves at the meetings, and then go out and share their knowledge with others in the community.

“The fact that we can have access to those materials and then share with the community, I truly believe that’s a blessing from God…That has brought changes and a lot of joy in the community. It’s great to see how God has been working through us and for us…Some people were even in tears but those are tears of happiness.”

She also learned from these meetings that a leader needs to have integrity, be honest, and have strong moral principles. Being a leader can be a very difficult task, but Edlin believes it is a responsibility God gives us to help teach others about His character so He will guide us.

“God will give you all you need to make it happen. You can’t get discouraged when things get tough. You have to be patient so you can get where you want to be.”

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