Marie Dumay Miracles promoting Plan's Because I am a Girl campaign to improve girls' lives

8 February 2010: The deputy mayor of Croix-des-Bouquets in Haiti, who Plan supported through school many years ago, is championing Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign as part of her efforts to rebuild lives after the earthquake.

Marie Dumay Miracles, 37, is proof that investing in girls' education offers huge returns for communities.  She grew up in Croix-des-Bouquets as one of 9 children of small-scale farmers. Today, Marie is a civil engineer and deputy mayor of her home town.

“I specialise in building roads and large buildings,” she explains. “This is a very valuable skill, especially right now.”

Sponsored child

Her future changed many years ago when Plan became part of her family’s life. A younger brother became a sponsored child, but the entire family and community benefited.

Plan provided training to her parents so that they could become more productive farmers - their only source of income. Plan worked with the community to create irrigation systems. The parents also got help to improve their living conditions and support to send their children  to school.

Girl rights

“All 9 of us finished school,” Marie says, adding that in areas where Plan does not work, children faced many obstacles to go to school. Girls, in particular, would stay at home and help with household chores.

“With Plan, the family has the chance to send everyone to school.”

Plan supported her to do a one-year course in computer science and then helped her to attend university to study engineering.

“My parents were hard working but they could not afford to pay for my university,” she says.

Relief coordination

As part of the government of Croix-des-Bouquets, where Plan still works, she is actively involved in coordinating the organisation’s earthquake relief efforts, which include distributing food, water, tents and thousands of family survival kits.

Marie’s term as deputy mayor runs out in 3 months and she is now getting ready to run for mayor so that she can continue to lead the work in rebuilding her devastated community.

Find out more about Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign to improve girls’ lives.

Learn more about Plan’s emergency response in Haiti

Donate to the Haiti earthquake appeal