Born in Haiti and now one of the top IT Solution Architects at IBM in the US, Wilson has traveled the world, consulting and creating solutions for numerous governments and some of the largest companies in the world.

When the earthquake happened in Haiti, Wilson was on one of his trips in South Africa. He was watching on television the tragic moments his country was going through and wanted to help, but did not know how.

The idea of helping stayed in the back of his head until he developed a vision.

Development through education

Wilson believes that Haitians have to take their cause into their own hands and try to help themselves. Also, he is certain that the only way to sustainable development is through education. Wilson believes that Haiti should take advantage of the more and more available technologies, educate its people based on what is required now on the IT market, and soon enough it could become like India, Mexico, Costa Rica - one of the prime locations for outsourcing.

"The best way for Haitian people to help themselves is for them to invest more in education, invest in a smart way in education, not just help the young people to get to school but also teach them something that is up-to-date in the industry," noted Wilson.

A lot of talent is being wasted

In 2011, after 18 years of living outside of Haiti, Wilson decided to visit his country to witness its reality. Being used to analyzing complex systems, Wilson took a close look at the education system in Haiti, as well as the work that the NGOs are doing in terms of education.

"The objectives they have are good, but I was not convinced that it would get the Haitian people where they need to be," said Wilson.

Some of the questions that Wilson raised are:  How do you help those who finished school and are ready for university? What is there in Haiti for them?  Do they have the proper skills? Are they ready professionally after graduating from the university?

Wilson saw many gaps in the education system including the fact that often students are not being taught the up-to-date and relevant information for the industry.

"We have a lot of young guys, and in Haiti they are very talented, they are hungry for knowledge, but they don't have a way to get this knowledge. Those people finish university in tough ways. They don't have electricity, and sometimes they use any means they have to go to the classes and learn whatever they can learn. What is most disappointing is that after they finish school, they don't have anything to do. There is a lot of talent that's being wasted," concluded Wilson.

“I feel that helping in education will make a difference”

Last year, Wilson arranged a partnership with the University of Quisqueya in Haiti, developed a program, and this year started training a group of 20 students the most up to date technology.  They have classes every Saturday and Sunday, sometimes face-to-face when Wilson is able to travel, but most of the times through video conference. Wilson was impressed that the University had all the tools to conduct remote teaching, including setup, network, and connectivity. The only thing the school did not have enough of was highly qualified people.

"The program is set to teach students how to develop software applications, in terms of what the big companies are currently looking for out there. We don't just teach them the code but also what it takes, the discipline, and the responsibility it takes to develop software application for a company," said Wilson.

Wilson has shared his ideas with friends in the US and some local developers who also sometimes get involved in training. They do it voluntarily. There are no resources for software license, so the students use the trial versions and try to finish the training before the trial expires.

"Sometimes I feel I may send $50,000 to Haiti, and that's not going to help, but I feel that by going and giving some of my time and helping in education will make a difference. My father always taught me that it's better to show someone how to catch a fish than to catch a fish and bring it to them. I always keep the same analogy. Don't send them the money; show them how to make money," shared Wilson.

Wilson encourages the NGOs working in Haiti to not just show Haitians how to use a system developed by foreign companies, but to also show them how to develop it because skill transfer will make projects more sustainable and will help the country’s development.

"If Haiti invests in education, and teaches its people relevant things of today, in 10-15 years it will become surprisingly advanced," said Wilson Fievre.