LA GONÂVE, HAITI
The island we call home.
A beautiful, resilient island in the Caribbean — and the place where Okipe’s story continues to unfold.
MEET LA GONÂVE
An island with a story of its own.
La Gonâve sits in the Gulf of Gonâve, just off Haiti’s mainland.
It is a place of extraordinary beauty — of mountains and sea, fishing boats and dusty roads, busy markets, football matches, families and communities.
It is also a place where everyday life can carry real challenges.
Yet photographs can tell us something statistics never quite can:
La Gonâve is not simply a place of need. It is a place people call home.
For visitors unfamiliar with Haiti, this simple map shows where the island sits — and how closely its story is connected to the sea around it.
CONNECTED BY THE SEA
The sea is part of the journey.
La Gonâve may sit close to mainland Haiti on a map, but island life has always been shaped by the water between them.
Boats carry people, goods and stories back and forth across the Gulf.
Some are small working boats. Others are the remarkable sailing vessels that have travelled these waters for generations.
To arrive on La Gonâve is to understand something immediately:
the sea does not simply surround the island. It helps shape life upon it.
LIFE ON THE ISLAND
Life moves differently here.
Much of life on La Gonâve unfolds along roads like this.
Motorbikes move between communities. Markets become places of trade and conversation. Boats connect island life with the mainland, while families build their days around the rhythms of the place they call home.
Life here can also be difficult. Roads can be rough, and journeys that might seem simple elsewhere can require more time and patience.
But those challenges are only part of the story.
BEAUTY AND REALITY
Beauty and challenge live side by side.
La Gonâve resists simple descriptions.
There is extraordinary natural beauty here — clear Caribbean water, mountain views, mangroves, trees filled with life and sunsets that can stop you in your tracks.
There are also realities that make everyday life harder.
Distance matters. Roads matter. Access to water, electricity, healthcare, education and opportunity can shape what is possible for a family or community.
Those realities should neither be hidden nor turned into a spectacle.
They are part of life here.
But they are not the whole of it.
People are always more than the challenges they face.
THE PEOPLE OF LA GONÂVE
More than a place.
La Gonâve is shaped above all by its people — by families, friendships, work, faith, laughter and the ordinary moments of life shared together.
Life on La Gonâve is lived in community. People know one another. Children grow up surrounded by neighbours, extended family and friends. Work, worship, conversation and play are woven into the rhythms of everyday life.
Across the island, life is built through relationships — people caring for children, supporting neighbours, gathering in churches, working, trading and finding ways forward together.
There is hardship here, but hardship is not the whole story.
There is also resilience, humour, creativity, faith and a deep sense of community.
Children grow up here with the same things children everywhere carry within them — curiosity, imagination, energy and an instinct to play.
A hoop can become a game. A patch of ground can become a football pitch. Friends can turn an ordinary afternoon into an adventure.
Joy does not wait for everything to be perfect.
WHERE OUR STORY LIVES
And this is where our story begins.
Long before there was an organisation called Okipe, there was a woman from La Gonâve who carried a vision for the children of her island.
Her name is Mme Soliette.
She grew up here.
She left the island to continue her education.
And eventually, she came home.
In 2007, Mme Soliette opened the doors of a rented house to eight children.
What followed began quietly — ordinary days of feeding, washing, teaching, comforting, praying and caring.
Years later, friendships formed around what she had begun.
People visited.
They listened.
They saw.
And some decided to stand alongside her.
Out of those relationships, Okipe was born.
LA GONÂVE, HAITI
This is where the story continues.
La Gonâve is more than the place on an address beneath Okipe’s name.
It is Mme Soliette’s home.
It is the home of the children we have come to know and love.
It is a place of beauty, challenge, faith, family, work, laughter and ordinary life.
And it is the place where the Okipe story continues to unfold.
Thank you for taking the time to meet it.
LEARN MORE
Keep discovering Haiti.
Our story offers only one small window into La Gonâve and the country it is part of.
For those who would like to learn more about Haiti — its people, history, culture and the realities of life today — these independent resources offer places to continue exploring.
Discover Haiti with Compassion →
An accessible introduction to Haiti, its people and some of the opportunities and challenges facing children and families today.
Explore Haiti’s culture and history →
The Smithsonian’s celebration of Haiti’s history, creativity, cultural traditions and remarkable contribution to the story of freedom.
Photography: Matt Smith