father joseph
About FATHER JOSEPH
The first in his family to read and write, Father Joseph founded Haiti’s largest micro-credit bank for the poor (Fonkoze) with the mission of empowering peasant women through literacy classes, small business training, and community building loans. He founded a 700-student K-14 school, an orphanage, a clean water project, a reforestation program, a health clinic, and a radio station; he also built hundreds of homes, planted thousands of trees, and created the University of Fondwa (Haiti’s first rural college). Several of his close friends were murdered because of their work for the poor, and almost everything Father Joseph built over 25 years was destroyed by the 2010 earthquake, but he is always moving forward with an infectious sense of humor, and a deep, inspiring faith.
“A beautiful ode to a real modern day hero.”
- actor and producer Rainn Wilson
“This inspiring film challenges my sense of my place in the world.”
- actor Willem Dafoe
“Father Joseph has the kind of vision and indomitable spirit that might earn someone a Nobel Peace Prize.”
- The Huffington Post
“One of the most inspiring, life-affirming documentaries I've ever seen.”
- best-selling author, Reza Aslan
