J.O. Haselhoef

A social practice artist who creates and organizes communities.

The Haitian Times

Reporting for The Haitian Times challenged me on numerous fronts — to learn the art of journalistic writing, to often be the only non-Haitian on staff, and to interview people of Haitian descent in Haiti and the diaspora without fluency in Haitian Creole.  The process also taught me about the realities so many Haitians face — confronting gangs in Port-au-Prince, navigating changing immigration policies in the U.S., and enduring the loneliness of working in the Dominican Republic while family remains in Haiti. 

The Haitian Times •

Community connections: How Indianapolis partnered up when the Haitians came 

Editor’s Note: This story aims to highlight entities that try to solve problems, even when those solutions are not perfect, to inspire positive change. To learn more, visit the Solutions Journalism Network. 

INDIANAPOLIS — When Romy Bernard-Tucker served as director of the city’s Office of Public Health, she often wondered how to address specific needs of immigrants. For her department last year, mental health support seemed an obvious gap to fill for Indianapolis’ growing Haitian and Burmese p...
The Haitian Times •

With Facebook fundraising not available in Haiti, group rethinks strategies for support

SEGUIN, Haiti — A community healthcare organization, Health in the Mountain, was just getting off the ground in Haiti when a devastating earthquake struck in the summer of 2021. The group raised $1,000 from friends and colleagues in the United States for medicines and materials used in two mobile medical clinics. When it tried to raise more funds through Facebook — well known for its effective fundraising pages — it couldn’t.

Jacky Joseph, the group’s executive director and a nurse, scoured the
The Haitian Times •

In Midwest, newer Haitian immigrants find a warm welcome

CHICAGO — Ricardo Monesteine and Carole Désarme will be spending Christmas with their two young children in a northwest suburb of Chicago this year. The Christmas tree is decorated, and the holiday feasts have already begun.

“I ate such a large meal of rice and beans at the buffet,” Monesteine said through a translator on a recent evening, “that I was too full to drink the kremas and eat the cake that followed.”

Less than three months prior, the family was slogging through the humid jungle of
The Haitian Times •

Haiti’s health professionals stay focused on providing care, despite slaying

Health care professionals of the Haiti Health Network (HHN) met online July 8 to address how President Jovenel Moises’ assassination might impact the health care sector — particularly in light of the National Vaccine Rollout Plan released from the Haiti Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) the week prior.

These frontline professionals represented organizations from Hope for Haiti, Hospital Lumiere Bonne Finn Sud and Care 2 Communities among many others throughout Haiti and the United
The Haitian Times •

How Soup Joumou Helped Me Understand a School Board

The many ingredients for soup sat not on the counter but in the spaces available in my tiny kitchen — on top of the refrigerator, between the dishes in the cupboard, even on the floor.

My friend from Haiti was soon to arrive. This was one of his first visits to the United States. American food made him feel ill. I chose this celebratory cuisine because I wanted to give his digestive tract a break. I was ill-prepared for the culinary effort the Haitian Independence dish would take. I’d only eate
The Haitian Times •

The Cacao Tree

Most of our summer evenings in the farmlands of Haiti ended with a cold shower and a short meal. However, we ended one night, over 10 years ago in Lamontay, with drinks under a Haitian cacao tree. Voltaire, our friend and translator, told Monsieur M, his mentor, our thoughts about Haiti, our belief in the Haitians and our new approach to charities. Monsieur asked Voltaire to invite us to his home. And Voltaire, interested in reaffirming his friendships on all sides, happily agreed.

My partner,

What I Do

Fellowship (2022) — selected by Columbia University's Age Boom Academy to train on issues focused on aging, with an emphasis on caregiving. 

Selected (2024/5) — selected to participate in Solutions Journalism Network's reporting about responses to social problems.  "Community Connections: How Indianapolis partnered up when the Haitians came," published 2025; participated in followup panel discussion. 

What I Do

Contact J.O. Haselhoef