Name: Maxandre Bien-Aimé
Maxandre Bien-Aimé, a native of Darbonne Léogane, Haiti is 34 years old. He is the principal of a primary school (Institution Mixte Nao), which he founded in 2002 to permit children in his community not only to learn to read and write, but to develop their capacity to learn, and to develop a vision of themselves and their world. He is also the Secretary General of Rasin Lespwa, (“Roots of Hope”) a social and cultural center that exists to promote education, a culture of peace, the Creole language, and Haitian culture in the community of Darbonne. Rasin Lespwa also receives foreigners, places them in a rural community, and helps them to learn Haitian culture and the Creole language. Maxandre studied applied linguistics at L'Université d'Etat d'Haiti (National University of Haiti).

1. How were you called to your current ministry/service?
   It's God who called me to do this work, because I believe that a Christian must work to help people to live better. And one way to do that is through education. The more you work for the education of the people in your community, the more people in the community will live better. The goal of the work I do in the library of Rasin Lespwa is to create a space where people can read, and learn, and where they can gain knowledge. When people have an opportunity to participate in these activities, this reduces the possibility that children will drop out of school early and become involved in negative activities.
2. What are the biggest obstacles to peace?
   Poverty and inequality are the two biggest obstacles to peace. Recently in Haiti (in Port au Prince in particular) we have had a lot of violence. I believe as many people do, that it is misery that has caused this violence. People are suffering, struggling to eat, to find work, to attend school, and this is what leads to violence. Where there are more people suffering in this way, we see more people who feel that their only choice is to obtain weapons and use violence to meet their needs. Inequality is the other big obstacle to peace in Haiti because a very small group of people hold all of the wealth in the country, and they do not distribute the resources to provide jobs and schools to those who are living in misery.
3. What is the biggest challenge your organization faces?
   We don't have enough resources to buy the materials we need, to provide services to the community, or to host activities to promote a culture of peace, education, and literacy. We have many ideas and dreams for projects we want to complete, but our lack of resources limits us. Rasin Lespwa receives a small amount of funding from FOKAL, a Soros Foundation, to support our library, but we don't have any funding for our other activities. Institution Mixte Nao is funded by the parents of the children who pay a small amount of money for their children's education, and by the support of other individuals who believe in the work we are doing.
4. Describe for us a typical day.
   I wake up early and go to work as the principal at Institution Mixte Nao, where I supervise the activities of the school, provide counsel to the teachers, and meet with parents. Then I go to work at Rasin Lespwa library, and some days I go to teach writing classes at Ecole St. Esprit. In the evenings I meet with friends, have discussions about books we are reading, and attend church.
5. How do get the news?
   Through the radio and newspaper, and sometimes through the internet.
6. How do you nurture your faith life?
   I go to church, meet with my brothers and sisters from my church, and read the Bible.
7. Last good book you read?
   "Le métier de mon père," a collection of Haitian short stories by Beaudelaine Pierre. My favorite story in the collection, also titled "Le métier de mon père" is a story about the tragic effects of poverty and politics that lead people to violence.
8. If you were a teenage peacebuilder you would...
   I would work to learn more about the culture of my people. I would seek more information about the cultures of other people so that I would know them better. I would open myself to learn from people who are older than me, and to learn about what other people who work for peace have done. I would gather a group of people to have discussions and share our experiences and work to build more peace in my community.