After presiding over Sunday’s annual Haitian Unity Parade on Blue Hill Avenue, Mayor Martin Walsh made good on a campaign promise on Monday evening, appearing before a large gathering of Haitian community members for a wide-ranging discussion about community’s wants and needs. More than 250 people— many of them elderly— greeted Mayor Walsh at Kay Pam Adult Day Health on Livingstone Street as he talked about City Hall’s approach to tackling affordable housing, improving education, and new immigrants’ integration into the community through the Office of New Bostonians. Walsh listened to remarks from members of the community about issues facing the city’s burgeoning Haitian population and then took a handful of pre-submitted questions. “We need to make sure young people have good, strong, quality education so these young people can have the same opportunities that Linda had, that I had,” Walsh said later, referring to State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, who is married to the Reporter’s publisher and editor, Bill Forry. Sen. Forry introduced Walsh at the event, calling him “no stranger to our community.”

Mayor Walsh at Sant BelviMayor Martin Walsh met with more than 250 Haitian community members last evening (May 18) at a large assembly at Sant Belvi, the Haitian Adult Day Care Center on Frontenac Street in Dorchester. The mayor led yesterday's Haitian Unity Parade in Mattapan and Dorchester. Walsh is no stranger to Haitian American issues. He traveled to Haiti in 2009 as a state representative.

Ile-a-Vâche, a tiny 20 square mile piece of paradise in the Southwest of Haiti has been captivating the imagination of curious or daring travelers for years. For history buffs, it may evoke the infamous British pirate Henri Morgan (1635-1688) who lost some vessels near the island in the midst of his illegal ventures. Or the intricate dealings of US President Lincoln and Haitian president Geffrard with investor Bernard Koch who attempted in 1862 to relocate some 5,000 emancipated blacks from the US on the island in an ill-fated project to grow and export fine Haitian cotton to US markets.

Haiti’s newest hotel is a destination in its own right. The Marriott Port-au-Prince Hotel— the result of a philanthropic collaboration between Marriott International, Digicel Group and The Clinton Foundation — opened its doors in March. The 175-room Marriott is the first of its brand in the country and aims to bring sustainability to the people of Haiti by employing primarily Haitians and enlisting local businesses for goods and services whenever possible. Located just 7 miles from the Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport, the Marriott Port-au-Prince offers guests easy access to the city’s commercial district as well as a wide variety of outdoor activities like hiking and swimming. It boasts the popular La Sirene Bar and Restaurant, with a variety of traditional Haitian items in addition to popular international dishes. It also features five elegant meeting rooms for corporate and social events of any size.

A Boston-based philanthropic effort that was launched in the immediate aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti will transition into a new institute over the next two years, according to leaders with the Boston Foundation, which hosts the initiative. The Haiti Fund, which has distributed more than $2.1 million in grants— most of them to existing, Haitian-led organizations in rural Haiti— will be phased out over the next two years as its board pivots into a new, permanent organization that will be called the Haiti Development Institute. “We are looking to give Haiti an independent institute that will serve local communities throughout the country while also supporting in long run the public sector by pushing issues and hopefully changing public policies,” explained Pierre Noel, who is the executive director of the Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation. Noel, who will serve as grand marshal of this weekend’s Haitian Unity Parade in Mattapan and Dorchester, will relocate to Haiti next year to finalize the establishment of the institute.