‘I have never had the opportunity to vote’: How one Haitian doctor’s initiative is getting people involved in civic life

Dr. Lucna Henrisme, a thirty-year-old Haitian medical doctor, has chosen a mission that extends well beyond medicine. According to Global Voices, she founded Mouvman SÈVI — the Service Movement — in June twenty twenty-four to teach young Haitians about their rights and get them involved in democracy. It's urgent work: Haiti hasn't held general elections since twenty sixteen, and gang violence has displaced more than one point five million people. Dr. Henrisme's own generation has never even voted. But she refuses to accept that as permanent. She's organizing workshops and civic education programs across the country, pushing the government to honor its commitment to hold fair elections. Despite opportunities to practice medicine abroad, she's stayed in Haiti, betting on her generation's power to rebuild the country.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton