Sustainability Through Action
ccmadminJoin Kate Schuenke-Lucien, Director for Haiti and Senior Associate Director for Strategic Planning, Fr. Herald Jean from University of Notre Dame Haiti-Hinche, and Chip Wirth, the GC-DWC’s Senior Advisor of the Social Enterprise Initiative, as they conclude this three-part series with a conversation about Notre Dame’s history in Haiti, the work that has been done to bolster the resilience of Haitian children and families, what we have learned through our implementation of science initiatives, and most importantly, the work that we hope to accomplish in the future.
Experience the Episode
Monday, June 30, 2025 12:00 pm
Notre Dame’s involvement in education in Haiti began 2006, with support for Catholic schools. When the 2010 earthquake devastated Haiti, Notre Dame responded by helping to rebuild Basile Moreau, the Congregation of the Holy Cross’ flagship K-12 school, as well as broader engagement with Haiti’s Catholic schools in rural areas of the country. The Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child’s strategic education partnerships now extend to over 300 school communities—over 200 of which are Catholic. Listen in to a conversation focused on school-based work which began with the implementation and study of the impact of an early grade literacy program in Catholic schools in Haiti.
The University of Notre Dame’s Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child works to create pathways out of adversity for the world’s most vulnerable children in 25 countries around the world, leveraging evidence-based innovations to develop effective Whole Child Development (WCD) approaches to not only advance children’s academic achievement, but also create safe, supportive, and equitable family, school, and community environments. Join Kate Schuenke-Lucien, Director for Haiti and Senior Associate Director for Strategic Planning, Fr. Herald Jean from University of Notre Dame Haiti-Hinche, and Chip Wirth, the GC-DWC’s Senior Advisor of the Social Enterprise Initiative, as they conclude this three-part series with a conversation about Notre Dame’s history in Haiti, the work that has been done to bolster the resilience of Haitian children and families, what we have learned through our implementation of science initiatives, and most importantly, the work that we hope to accomplish in the future.
The ThinkND Podcast
Forging a Future in Haiti is sponsored on ThinkND by the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child, located within the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame.
Sustainability Through Action
Meet the Speaker: Chip Wirth
Gilbert J. Wirth, Jr. (Chip) has been an advisor to the University of Notre Dame’s Bon Sel Initiative (BSI) for the past 15 years. Chip —working alongside technical advisors from Cargill— assisted in the supervision of the design and construction of the project’s salt processing plant in Port au Prince, Haiti. In addition to his work with the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child’s Social Enterprise Initiative through the BSI, he is involved in several additional projects to serve the people of Haiti. Chip is one of the founders of the Maison Fortune Orphanage Foundation, a project that supports 230 underprivileged youth in the town of Hinche. He also worked with the University of Notre Dame Haiti to found the University’s Bio Science Program, a first-of-its-kind program in Haiti.
Chip serves as an advisor to the University of Notre Dame’s Student Consulting for Non-Profit Organizations and assists students in their work to support the efforts of the BSI. He also serves as an advisor and business partner to the University’s Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child, attempting to create novel economic development opportunities to fund and sustain Haitian Catholic elementary schools.
Chip graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He spent the next 8 years in the power generator business at Dominion Resources. In 1988, he and his wife, Patty, founded Wirth Development Corporation, a residential developer of single family homes and rental apartments. He and Patty currently reside in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Meet the Speaker: Fr. Herald Jean
Fr. Herald Jean serves as Advisor on Education and Social Enterprise, Haiti for the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child at the University of Notre Dame. Fr. Herald is a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Hinche, Haiti. Born in May 1978 in the Hinche district, he was raised in a devout Catholic family and has dedicated his life to pastoral service, theological scholarship, and the advancement of healthcare ethics and education in Haiti.
He began his higher education in philosophy from 1998 to 2001 in Haiti, before continuing his theological studies in Rome, Italy. From 2001 to 2010, he pursued theology and earned a Ph.D. in Bioethics at the Pontifical University Regina Apostolorum. During his doctoral studies, he served as associate priest at San Ambrogio Parish in the Diocese of Rome from 2006 to 2010.
Upon returning to Haiti, Fr. Herald served as associate priest at the Cathedral of Hinche from 2010 to 2012. In 2012, he founded the Hinche campus of the Université Notre Dame d’Haïti, where he continues to serve as Executive Vice-Rector, playing a key role in shaping higher education in the region.
In addition to his academic and pastoral commitments, Fr. Herald Jean holds several national leadership roles:
- National Director of Health Care Ministry
- Chaplain, Sainte Thérèse Hospital of Hinche
- Executive Vice-Rector, Université Notre Dame d’Haïti, Campus of Hinche
- Teacher of Professional Ethics, Bioethics, Anthropology, and Moral Philosophy,
- Member, National Bioethics Committee of Haiti
Fr. Herald Jean remains committed to his dream of contributing to the promotion of bioethics, education, and pastoral care of the sick, guided by his faith. His work reflects a deep commitment to human dignity and the integral development of Haitian society.
