Ms. Margareth Alexandre, 1962 - 2010
(Administrative Assistant with the World Bank, Haiti)
Margareth Alexandre, a national of Haiti, was an administrative assistant in the World Bank’s Haiti Country Office. Her professional experience, prior to joining the World Bank, included positions in the hospitality sector and as an interpreter with the UN, where she worked in the mid-1990s.
Margareth was born in Jacmel, south Haiti, where she spent her childhood. She did her primary education at Evelyna Levy, a religious institute, and Celi Lamour School and later completed her high school education from the Lycée des Jeunes Filles in Port-au-Prince. She also studied at the professional institute EFTECH, where she took various secretarial and bookkeeping courses from 1992 to1995. Her first assignment with the World Bank was to support the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment in October 2008, following the deadly hurricane season of that year.
“Margareth’s maturity and dedication stood out indeed; she was also a consensus-builder, going to extremes – sometimes at her own expense – to avoid conflicts with colleagues,” said a former co-worker.
Friends and colleagues noted her peaceful aura and normalizing effect in the often difficult work of humanitarian affairs. “Spending time with Margareth was like taking a breath of fresh air. With her innocence and generosity, she had a way of making us feel better when we were having a bad day,” said another colleague.
Margareth always showed a genuine interest in people and their families, and had a great love for children. As a single parent, she had to make the difficult choice to leave Ruth, her daughter, with her family in her hometown of Jacmel to make a living in Port-au-Prince, but she made sure to go home every second weekend.
In Port-au-Prince, she lived in eastern suburb of Delmas. A colleague gave her a necklace in December, and recalled Margareth’s joyful response when receiving the present, saying, “I had to wear it because if I die within the next hours, I would have had the opportunity to enjoy the gift.”
Colleagues will remember her always buoyant spirit and commitment to improving the situation in Haiti. “Our dear Margareth was a joy in the office, a true human being and a glue to our team. She will never be forgotten and we will cherish her memory forever,” said a colleague.
Margareth is survived by her 16-year-old daughter, Ruth, as well as her mother Notremene, brother Ousner and sister, Marie Constance.