Minority Development & Empowerment
Inc., MDEI, is a 501 (c) 3, not-for profit agency established
on September 13, 1996 with a goal to provide programs and services
to the Haitian community and other minorities in Broward County.
With an growing Haitian population, and an apparent
lack of adequate services and programs geared for support,
the agency set its objectives to fulfill the needs of this
under-served group, and provide the adequate training to foster
leadership within it.
On June 11 1997, MDEI received its first grant from
the Community Foundation of Broward to conduct an HIV/AIDS outreach
and prevention program within the Haitian community. HIV/AIDS
continues to be a pressing and mounting problem within the Haitian
population. MDEI recognized this challenge, and began
providing prevention and outreach sessions to specifically high-risk
groups. These presentations focused on prevention and education
of HIV/AIDS and its mode of transmission. They were primarily
conducted within the churches, schools, and community organizations
serving a majority of Haitian clientele.
In that same year, MDEI also received funding from
the Broward HIV Health Services Planning Council to provide services
to Haitians infected with HIV/AIDS. The Ryan White Title I grant
provided the agency with the capacity to expand its services
toward its clientele. The funding allowed MDEI to provide
services such as case management, counseling, transportation
passes, and housing referrals. Within a year, the agency’s
clientele jumped from a few dozen to over eighty clients. The
agency continued with its prevention measures and provided a
hands-on approach to helping educate the clients on health issues,
and how to obtain much needed services within the community.
MDEI is very conscious of the unique and particular
needs of the Haitian population due to language and cultural
barriers, and a history of discrimination and non-intervention.
The following year, the agency moved its headquarters to an area
located in the heart of the Haitian community. By providing easy
access and an environment that is both culturally sensitive and
confidential to its clients,’ MDEI soon set itself
apart as an agency that is concerned about the quality of life
of its clientele.
MDEI also recognized the need for continuous education
and prevention regarding HIV/AIDS within the community and developed
programs aimed at empowering individuals with the knowledge necessary
to combat the disease. The agency established a telephone
hotline with a grant from the Community Foundation of Broward.
The hotline provides valuable information regarding resources
and social services to clients who may require them after normal
hours of operations. In addition, clients are provided with an
emergency contact number in case of difficulties they may be
experiencing at the time. A counselor is on call twenty-four
hours a day to provide support and aid to all of MDEI’s
clients. The Community Foundation of Broward also provided
the agency with a grant to educate peer outreach workers who
in turn educate others within their particular neighborhoods
and localities about HIV/AIDS.
MDEI understands the continuous needs
of Haitians and other minorities in Broward County, and is
committed in filling that gap. At the end of its second year,
the agency combined
its resources and purchased a building and established its permanent
headquarters within the Haitian community. The agency has also
begun developing programs geared toward educating individuals
regarding all aspects of their social needs. These programs,
along with existing ones will provide a much-needed base for
Haitians and other minorities to learn about the laws, statutes
and responsibilities ascribed to every citizen of the County.
The ultimate goal of the agency is to educate individuals to
become useful and productive members of the community, and make
Broward County, and its surrounding areas stronger through its
diverse and constructive constituency.
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