Our History & Founders |
Bel Air is a marginalized neighborhood of Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince that suffers from extreme poverty and is ravaged by political violence. The grim reality of life in this densely populated impoverished area was painfully evident to Edeyo’s co-founders Unik Ernest and Michael Pradieu when they visited the area in early 2007.
The two childhood friends from Port-au-Prince vowed to do something to help. At his birthday party that year, Unik, a premier event producer renowned worldwide, announced the creation of Edeyo. That November, Edeyo opened a new school in Bel Air, with an enrollment of 88 students. Today Edeyo is devoted to rebuilding the school, which was destroyed by the January 2010 earthquake, and to expanding enrollment in new and better facilities. Meanwhile, over 250 children are attending our over-crowded temporary facilities.
UNIK ERNEST | President & Founder
Born in Port-au Prince, Haiti, Unik has built a reputation as a premier event producer in New York, London, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, and St. Tropez. Starting in the early nineties, he quickly learned that his natural propensity for having fun was a marketable commodity. In 2006 his first nightclub, P.M. lounge, helped change the meatpacking district into the social and event center of New York.
Since that time, brands as diverse as Nike, Diesel, La Perla, Valentino, Volkswagen, Virgin Mobile, Microsoft, Def Jam, Lufthansa Airlines, and Interscope Records have turned to Unik to produce the world’s most exclusive parties and special promotions.
Through his celebrity-packed parties and events, Unik was uniquely qualified to leverage his social networks to help the country he holds dear to his heart. For the past 10 years his birthday had become the one great celebration to attend before July 4th. In the year 2006, Unik declined to accept any more birthday gifts. Instead he asked his friends to make a donation to any foundation that helped the children of his country. That first year, he raised $15,000 for Wyclef Jean’s Yéle Haiti Foundation. The following year he founded EDEYO on his birthday.
MICHAEL PRADIEU | Vice-President & Founder
Michael Pradieu grew up in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. At the age of 16 Michael moved to the U.S but always had Haiti in his heart. A Hunter College alumnus with a degree in Mathematics and Literature, Michael has worked for the past 10 years as a programmer and software developer for various companies.
Michael is a staunch advocate of the value of education, convinced that proper schooling can transcend the multitude of barriers confronting our society. Michael envisions a peaceful revolution in Haiti, one that he believes can only be accomplished by providing all Haitian children with an equal opportunity to learn, grow, and prosper.