When I met Denis, it was the end of my first week as a conversational English teacher, at a Port au Prince school. I had just finished “teaching” a class of seventy-one students and was more than overwhelmed to walk into another classroom of over fifty teenagers. After writing some basic English greetings on the chalkboard, I asked, in English, for the class to read the phrases out loud. After a few painful minutes of lame attempts to evoke a response, a soft-spoken student, with a bright smile, walked over and offered to translate. When God shut the mouths of the lions, I bet Daniel must have felt the same relief I did when Denis stepped up to help! Later in the year, I had the honor of sitting down with this young man and chat about his life and vision for his future.

Student

Denis is currently in his third year at College St. Andre as a Rheto [junior] student and is president of the English Club. (He’s an excellent English Language Learner speaker!) At most Haitian schools, students are taught in French while learning Kreyol, Spanish and English. In addition to his basic schooling and language learning, he has also taken technical courses, such as plumbing, paving, sewing and will soon begin computer classes next semester.

I asked why he pursues advanced English learning: “At first, I didn’t like learning English. In this country and others countries, English is the language for business.” Denis believes that in the Haitian culture, for a Haitian to be respected, they must obtain a degree from an university in another country. He dreams of an opportunity to further his education and future with a Business and Foreign Studies degree, outside of Haiti, but fears he will not have the possibility due to the costs.

Seamstress

Besides leading English clubs, one of Denis’ other extracurricular activities included sewing. Since sewing is not the “typical” teenage boy hobby, I inquired where he learned to sew. “Outside of my house there was an old man [street vendor that set up shop] who was sewing. I watched him and learned day by day.”

A couple years ago, Almando and Cassandra Jean Louis, gifted Denis monies to purchase his first sewing machine, sewing classes and the materials to kick start his business. Through a church scholarship, he was then gifted another “simple” sewing machine to continue advancing his trade skills. He has put those gifts to full use by learning how to sew and teaching others.

Business Owner

At the ripe age of seventeen, Denis started a home-based business, DENS Productions, making and selling textiles. His main products are backpacks and now is branching into shoes, shirts and all school textile needs. He says, “Every school year, Haitian parents buy cheap and bad quality bags.” DENS offers products that are stronger and more durable - while still remaining affordable. It’s one of the ways he helps to support his community.

In two short years, he has now grown his business to include five employees, five sewing machines (though two are broken) and his production has dramatically increased. He sold over 550 backpacks during this year’s back-to-school season! When I asked if he planned on continuing to expand his business, he calmly replied, “At first, I didn’t like it but once I saw I would be able to give jobs [to others]... it is my destiny.”

I was curious as to what a teenage entrepreneur spends his money on. He told me his profits go towards paying his school fees, helping with part of household expenses, some to treat his mother (who is his heart), and the rest for food and clothes he’d like to buy.

Visionary

“I don’t want to be independent. Young Haitians have talents. I find out and call them; I want to see how our talents can be unified.”

For Denis, giving back to the country he loves is his purpose. His vision is not to create four or five jobs, but thousands of jobs to unify and empower his fellow countrymen, here in Haiti. It breaks his heart that for so many Haitians, the only option to support their families, is to leave Haiti to find jobs opportunities in other countries. That is why Denis is working on his business plan to advertise his business, find a facility, hire more employees and work towards gaining corporate accounts, such as the Haitian National Police and Brana, the manufacturer for Prestige beer. If that wasn’t a big enough endeavour, Denis’ dreams don’t stop there! He would love to build a place where people can go to have a good time, like an amusement park or movie theater.