Transforming Lives
What is Starfysh?
Established in 2010, Starfysh is a grassroots movement driven by the belief that we can turn desperate poverty on its ear for a small island in Haiti. By combining gutsy Christian responses with synergistic partnerships, we aim to restore dignity and hope to those who’ve lost both.
Our Vision: To see La Gonave become an island of flourishing, whose people are healthy, prosperous and whole.
Compassion, Dignity, and Hope—One Life at a Time
Join Starfysh in lifting up the island of La Gonave, Haiti. Be a part of our mission to restore hope and dignity to 100,000 of the world’s poorest people through education, community health initiatives, and sustainable agriculture.
Thank You for Making the Gala a Success!
We are so grateful to everyone who joined us for the Seeds of Hope Gala. Your presence and support mean the world to us and are helping us make a lasting impact on the lives of the people on La Gonave, Haiti.
The work doesn’t stop here! Explore our 2025 Projects and discover how you can continue to make a difference. Together, we can bring compassion, dignity, and hope to those who need it most.
Our Work
Our Three Pillars of Work
Starfysh’s work on the the island falls into three development categories: community health, education, and sustainable agriculture. These pillars represent our commitment to see long-lasting, transformative change that moves people out of their daily struggle to survive into lives marked by thriving and dignity.
Any thoughtful approach to improving population health must not ignore that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Dollar-for-dollar, day’s-work-for-day’s-work, the energies and resources invested in preventive, community health efforts accomplish much more in saving lives, improving life expectancy, and enhancing overall health than do curative-approach medical efforts. And while we must, in Christian compassion, treat the sick who present to us, Starfysh’s role is to pour more energy into proactively preventing people from getting sick in the first place.
That said, we do enjoy hosting the medical and dental teams that come to conduct clinics in various villages across the island, and we use these clinics as a platform to integrate preventive health education topics (e.g., nutrition, hygiene, etc.) in those communities.
Education
All agree that education is key to unlocking the potential for La Gonave’s people to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty. Improving literacy is the place to start, as we equip La Gonave’s youth for future leadership in the worlds of business and public service. We recognize, too, that education must equip La Gonave’s citizens to live productive lives in the job marketplace. Providing opportunities for adult education and skilled trades training will give people the tools to move beyond head knowledge to being able to provide for their families while contributing to the socioeconomic vitality of their island community.
Agriculture
It is certain that agriculture will play a critical role in the overall development picture of Haiti. Re-establishing the strength and primacy of the family farm must be an emphasis in any thoughtful strategy to bring transformative change to this land. Haiti’s ecologically distressed landscape is well known. But in our exploration of La Gonave’s 387 square miles, we see great and exciting potential for restoring her land. Every home on La Gonave has the potential to grow its own family food. We lean into this vision through Life Garden, Starfysh’s agricultural demonstration and supply farm.
In addition, we must not underestimate the importance of the positive ecological impact of our work. Beyond its paramount contribution in reducing hunger and providing family incomes, a thriving agriculture program will go far in turning La Gonave green, improving her topsoil, preventing soil loss from erosion, and inviting cooling rains.
November 9th, 2021 Fall Fundraiser
Doors open at 6:00 PM
Dinner at 6:30 PM
