Garcelle Beauvais is partnering with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which recently pledged a $30 million, three-year Commitment to Action to assist resource programs in Haiti.
Beauvais has always been proud of her Haitian heritage and even supported organizations that bring awareness to her homeland’s needs. On Sept. 18, she posted an Instagram video revealing a new partnership with WKKF to help “spread the word” about their vision and efforts for rejuvenating Haiti.
“After the earthquake in Haiti, the world rushed in to help. There were often very good intentions, but the resources weren’t always allocated to the people most in need. And then people’s focus shifted away from Haiti,” she captioned the clip. “This shouldn’t have happened in Haiti, and I sincerely hope it doesn’t happen in Morocco. When people experience something so destructive, like in Morocco but also in Libya and Maui, we need to support and empower the communities themselves to rebuild; this is the only way to achieve lasting change.”
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The 56-year-old humanitarian sat down with Blavity to discuss the importance of continuing to bring awareness to the needs of Haiti and why she felt confident joining forces with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s initiative.
“I knew they were trustworthy. I mean I did my research, went down their rabbit hole, saw that they’d been on the ground with Haiti for a very long time so this is nothing new to them, it made perfect sense,” she said to Blavity. “And I love what they’re doing, and the fact that they’re giving the power to the Haitian people on the ground who are doing the initiatives. It’s not just a blanket statement, they’re really on the ground helping my community, my family.”
The Love Me as I Am author lived in Haiti until her mother decided to move Beauvais and her siblings to America for better opportunities; she was only seven years old.
“I have fond memories of the music, the food, hanging out with my family, going to visit my grandmother in Saint-Marc,” Beauvais said. “My memories of Haiti are vivid and colorful and beautiful, and that’s what I want to get back to so that [everyone] just appreciates the beauty that Haiti brings. We don’t see that enough.”
The foundation’s commitment is part of their Pockets of Hope campaign, a new $90 million campaign created to “catalyze philanthropic support for community-led education, health, economic security and other game-changing initiatives in Haiti,” according to a press release.
“It means everything to me because first of all, they have many choices. They could be helping any other countries and places,” Beauvais said. “I have an immigrant mind, which is why I think I hustle so much because I’m so grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given that I want to make sure the other little girls, the other little boys have the same opportunities.”
She continued, “They’re deserving of it. Just the basics you know? Education, food, medical resources, mental health resources…when a place doesn’t have it then it’s important. I’m forever grateful to the Kellogg Foundation for stepping up and putting their money where their commitment is.”
La June Montgomery Tabron, President and CEO of the WKKF, wants to assure anyone donating to Pockets of Hope that they are in great hands since the foundation is only affiliated with organizations and people who are in the trenches of Haiti and have established prominent relationships that play a major role in the country’s revitalization.
“These are trusted organizations, these are leaders who are committed to improving the conditions in Haiti, and they will be a part of a very strong network that is improving access to quality healthcare, quality education, building a workforce and training in Haiti so that the children and the families are able to thrive in the future,” Tabron told Blavity. “And they’ll be part of a funding network where together we will collaborate to ensure that resources are returning great results for the children and families of Haiti.”
As Beauvais’ exclusive interview with Blavity came to a close, she discussed a light topic by teasing what The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans can expect this upcoming 13th season, which is rumored to premiere in November. While she will not host a Haitian dinner this time around, she said she and her castmates “have a lot more fun than we did last season.”
She added, “We all have personal storylines and I think past [storylines] haven’t really showcased what we’re doing. You’ll get to see a little bit of my parenting. You know I have teenagers, so it’s not always easy as you will see.”
As the first Black woman to join The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in season 10, The Jamie Foxx Show alum had doubts about reality TV, but she is navigating this new realm with style and grace.
“It’s not always easy. I mean, people think ‘Oh, it’s reality, just be yourself, which is what we do, but at the same time, you’re challenged,” she said. “Sometimes they want to make me crazy and I’m not going there. It’s important for me to stay true to who I am and also handle things the way I want to handle them. I don’t want the pressures of acting like [the way] people expect me to act. I’m always going to act how it feels for me in the moment, so that’s what I do.”
