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Morgan Wienberg is the Co-Founder, Coordinator, and Head of Haiti Operations for Little Footprints Big Steps International Development Organization. She was kind enough to take the time for an extensive interview with me. Please find part 4 here, and 1 here, 2 here, and 3 here.
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1. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Little Footprints Big Steps International Development Organization (LFBS) is a registered charity, which emerged out of this endeavour based on collaboration with a nurse, Sarah Wilson. However, you needed finance. You mentioned one job. You worked three jobs to save enough money. What two other jobs?
Morgan Wienberg: I had about $25,000 saved for university at the time. I started with personal savings. I went in 2010 for 2 ½ months. Before I left to return to Canada, I decided to come back. I deferred university. I went back to Canada, but worked 3 jobs for 6 months before going back to Haiti. I intended to go to Haiti. I went to work to save additional funds.
I worked at a bakery. It was a bakery, restaurant, and yoga studio in one. I worked there for a few years. The community gave generous tips. I worked at the local animal shelter looking after the dogs, e.g. cleaning the cages. If I worked at the bakery starting at 5 in the morning, I would work at the animal shelter in the afternoon. Also, I did a lot of babysitting. I worked in a women’s gym through exercise classes and so on. I cleaned houses for neighbours too.
2. Jacobsen: How did this relationship with the nurse originate and develop for you?
Wienberg: My first time in Haiti, in 2010, staying in a compound with Mission of Hope. There many other volunteers there. I was there for 2 ½ months. During those 2 ½ months, Sarah Wilson came for a few weeks. She was working in the medical clinic. I was going off to the orphanage. We were sleeping in the same living quarters. We met that way.
She visited the orphanage a couple of times. I tried to get medical teams to see the sick kids. She saw the orphanage at that point. Further down the road, when I returned to Haiti and was working with the orphanage, we kept in touch on social media. She followed me. When I was back in Haiti living in the orphanage with the kids, she sent an email.
She said, “I’ve been following what you’ve been doing. You need support. I did this course. Do you want create an organization to support what you’ve been doing?” Of course, I said, “Yes!” We completed the forms to become a formal charity.
3. Jacobsen: Your mother remains part of Little Footprints Big Steps International Development Organization as the Director/Chair of the Board. She supports this endeavour. Many mothers, and fathers, might feel hesitant to permit their gifted child to pursue this endeavour. For instance, the possible risk of sexual assault or abuse in a foreign country. What does parental support and encouragement mean to you?
Wienberg: She is a huge part of the organization. In the beginning, I had to do fundraising with donors. She took that on for us. It allows me to be in Haiti for the long-term. I can work with the local staff and develop programs while here. In the beginning, I wasn’t able to do it. I had to focus on fundraising and communicating with sponsors.
4. Jacobsen: She has graduate level training relevant to this, too.
Wienberg: Yes.
5. Jacobsen: Many parents with gifted children or a gifted child, even a child for that matter, might feel hesitant to permit their child to pursue this endeavour.
Wienberg: [Laughing].
References
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Original publication on www.in-sightjournal.com.
All images courtesy of https://www.littlefootprintsbigsteps.com/.