Joseph
Lauture
Joseph Lauture
is the Program Coordinator of Angels of Haiti Project. He was
born in La Vallee de Jacmel, Haiti. For many years until is
retirement, he worked as a telecommunication technician/specialist
maintaining an earth station for MCI-WorldCom for international
satellite communications. He attended primary and secondary
schools in La Vallee and in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He immigrated
to the United States in 1965. He graduated from RCA Institute
specializing in electronic circuits and control.
He received
an associated degree in telecommunications from La Guardia Community
College in New York City and a bachelor degree from Marywood
College in Pennsylvania. He was one of the founders in 1977
of Fraternite Valleenne, whose members are people with roots
in La Vallee with the primary purpose to work with people in
La Vallee to develop the region.
This type
of cooperation was instrumental in building in 1980, Hospital
St Joseph, the first in the region caring for about 40,000 people.
Other projects were carried over the years: construction of
schools, marketplace, roads, soccer field, and a playground.
This is his way to reach back to his community. During his numerous
visits to La Vallee to follow up on the projects he always take
time to encourage the people especially the youth to continue
the effort, happy to see his childhood dream becoming slowly
reality: Make of La Vallee a place where every child has a chance
to develop his/her potential with less hardship.
“In
1975 after eleven years away from Haiti I arrived in La Vallee
for my first visit. It was about eight o'clock at night and
raining lightly. We were on the road for fourteen hours. I arrived
just on time to witness a terrible scene. A poor mother in difficult
labor was been hand carried on a stretcher during the night
to Jacmel, a town 5 miles away.
I learned
later that the mother and the child died. So when in New York
we received the call from La Vallee who already have organized
themselves in an organization named CODEVA, to help them build
a small hospital, we in turn motivated Valleens leaving abroad
and formed Fraternite Valleenne. In 1980 St Joseph Hospital
was built. That was the beginning of the involvement of Fraternite
Valleene which later included building schools, roads, a children
park, a library, etc.
Mr. Lauture
and his lovely and devoted wife, Louise, are one of the best
allies that HTCF has to pursue its goal in Haiti.