May 2021

NANCY LAROCHE

Born in Port-au-Prince, almost six decades ago, I, Nancy Laroche, am the second children of a family of 4. From my father, Clermont Laroche, a devoted pediatrician, I learned strong ethics values as a professional and as a citizen, from my mother, Josette Décastro, a well cultured former primary school teacher turned accountant, I got a sense of beauty and attention to details and from both my parents, a passion for excellence.

Very early on during my childhood, I had to learn about responsibility as my mother became paralyzed and could no longer carry her full motherly duties without assistance.
Through my childhood and adolescence, my sense of responsibility further awakened and extended into social issues from Scouting activities and other charity and leadership associations.

I was also involved in adult literacy programs and was a volunteer kids tutor.
As a Catholic school student, I and all the pupils were ‘strongly encouraged’ to contribute in raising funds towards the various community projects the school was involved in through the daily sparing of our allowance money, through raffle selling, through active participation in cultural fundraising events (acting, dancing, or other talents, etc.).
As a result, I learned to feel empathy towards those in needs.

As a teenager, I already knew I wanted to work in Design, but because of the strict family principles, I opted for the least liberal option in the field: Architecture.
After my classical studies, in January 1982, I traveled to New York to pursue my studies in Architecture.

In the early 1990’s, I came back to Haiti after more than a decade abroad, to pursue a career as an Architect and to raise my 2 children.
Since then, I have developed a solid experience and reputation in the field, developing and building residential (mostly) and commercial projects and have raised my kids. With my husband, I enjoy discovering beautiful new places at home and abroad. Alone I enjoy reading while developing my painting skills, which I intend to use as my main retirement occupation.

Today, I am ready for more.
As I am witnessing the deterioration in the quality of life and education in Haiti, the loss of values, and my people’s despair, it’s time to put my life-long sense of responsibility to serve my people. As a privileged woman and a concern citizen, I want to get involved, to help and inspire Haitian kids, by contributing in giving them a strong sense of ethics, teaching them the value of responsibility, respect and honesty.
I want to contribute socially in a more active manner and give back.