E&H Junior Bendsondy Pierre Creates Non-Profit to Improve the Lives of Children in Haiti

Bendsondy founded UMEPAN, a non-profit that many people at E&H are now becoming a part of.

Guest Contributor, Mikayla McCray

Emory & Henry junior Bendsondy Pierre is the Founder and CEO of the non-profit organization UMEPAM. The E&H community is getting involved with this organization that aims to help the children of Haiti have a better education and quality of life.

Pierre is from Les Caymites, Haiti, and moved to the United States in 2015 with his mother and brother. The organization’s name is in French and stands for “Une Meilleure Éducation Pour une Avenir Meilleur”, which translates to, “Better Education, Brighter Future.”

“We created UMEPAM to give hope to those who have been forgotten, especially in Haiti,” Pierre said. “Because growing up in Haiti, things weren’t easy for me. I experienced a lot of hardships. Now I want to make it better and give hope to others like me who are now enduring those hardships that I faced in the past.”

Pierre has been working on this organization for a while, but things have changed since UMEPAM’s beginnings.

“I started doing this in 2015, when I first came to the United States. I was doing it on my own. But after graduating high school, things began to change, and I had more responsibilities. When I met Jackson Kaze, our President & Co-Founder, we decided to apply for nonprofit approval. Now we are fully approved and continue to make changes,” he explained.

Students at Emory & Henry College have gotten involved with Pierre’s organization, including sophomore Justine South.

“I became the chief executive director at the beginning of October after meeting Bendsondy Pierre through our jobs as Resident Advisors at Emory & Henry College,” South said. “When he started telling me about UMEPAM and after discussing what the organization wanted to accomplish, I knew I wanted to be involved.”

Pierre had the opportunity to visit Haiti last August, where he saw first-hand the impact the organization has had.

“I got the chance to meet with the school’s principals. We discussed a lot and there is a lot that needs to be done, but we’re getting there little by little. Our impact has been immense and positive. Previously, the schools did not have activities, but now we added some school activities. Also, we’re working on adding a technology class to the schools. We are doing great things little by little,” Pierre stated.

UMEPAM is working alongside the Education Department at Emory & Henry College to provide a scholarship that will help future educators get the test needed for their teaching license.

“We’re looking forward to starting this scholarship next semester. It’ll be a long term scholarship by the name of the FES, Future Educators Scholarship,” Pierre said.

Students who are interested in getting involved in UMEPAM can be a regular donor, volunteer, or help the organization fundraise. Students can visit UMEPAM’s website, umepam.org, and visit the FAQ page for more information.