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Reinvigorating the Hospitality Sector
Hildegard Epstein Cassis is the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Oasis Hotel Project. She is also the managing director of the Oasis Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the project that is working to reinvigorate the hospitality sector in Haiti.
Since the beginning of the Oasis Project, the team has shared the vision of a socially responsible company, embracing causes that make a difference in the country and the community. Below, Miss Cassis talks about the reopening of l’École Hôtelière Haitienne (the Haiti Hotel School), the passion of the students, and the important role the school plays in building back a stronger Haiti.
Miss Cassis:
The students were ecstatic to be back to school and continue their career. The new students were thrilled; they told me they had something to look forward to. With a career they could work and not need to beg or depend upon others. I really felt a sense of purpose when I realized how Oasis and the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund had been able, through this project, to change so many lives and to revive so many dreams.
Education has proven in many countries to be the salvation and road to prosperity and economic development. This joint venture between the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Oasis Foundation in the reviving of Haiti’s Hotel School is one of the greatest partnerships. By doing so, our two institutions [the Oasis Hotel and the Oasis Foundation] are playing a pivotal role in reinventing Haiti’s tourism strategy. The Haitian government has applauded the initiative and joined hands quickly.
With new investments in the hotel market beginning, and other investments being announced, tourism will be one the biggest growing fields in Haiti. However, there is also a tremendous lack of professionals in the industry. Hoteliers across Haiti are pleased about the revival of the School, and many have already contacted us in order to employ the students that will be graduating. Having professionals trained by Haiti’s Hotel School will create new careers in the hotel field, and the revival of the school will give opportunities to many for the years to come.
By sharing the important work we all are doing through the Oasis Foundation, we hope to encourage others and emphasize the progress that is happening. I have a vision for the Oasis Foundation--to be a leading entity in empowering young men and women and allowing them to blossom professionally. I see a big campus with many different technical schools and thousands of students. I hope we find others who will embrace this cause with us in order to make this dream a reality.
Students at the Haiti Hotel School prepare for the school's January 2012 grand opening.
