Overview:
Haitian-founded nonprofit Stand Up To Poverty held its Hearts & Helium Benefit Gala in New York to support a medical mission to Uganda. The group, founded by Astrid Fidelia and Jean Alfred, has led outreach programs across four continents since 2018.
As a child growing up in a Haitian immigrant family on Long Island, Astrid Fidelia was often the one to translate for her parents. Those long walks up and down the stairs of their colonial home, relaying answers between visitors and her non-English-speaking parents, taught her how to ask questions — and how to serve others.
“I realized early on that giving back and helping others was just part of who I am,” Fidelia said.
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That spirit of service eventually led Fidelia and fellow Haitian immigrant Jean Alfred to co-found Stand Up To Poverty (SU2P), a Hauppauge, N.Y.-based nonprofit that provides free medical care and humanitarian aid in underserved communities around the world.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, the organization hosted its Hearts & Helium Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan to raise funds for a medical mission to Uganda’s Luwero-Kampala community planned for February 2026.
The black-tie event united community leaders from across the globe, including representatives from the Ugandan consulate, members of the United Nations from China and Thailand, and Haitian, Colombian and Nigerian officials. The evening raised more than $50,000 for the upcoming mission.
The gala, hosted by actress Tiffany Lily Walker and comedian A.G. White, featured dinner, entertainment and an awards ceremony recognizing advocates for global health and humanitarian work. DJ Osocity provided music throughout the evening.
The organization honored several individuals, including Yahaya Abubakar, ruler of Nigeria’s Nupe Kingdom, for his work expanding primary healthcare access. Dr. Marie Johanne Dupiton of Camkids, Olympic gymnast Frederick Richard and philanthropist Gary Kong also received awards.
Attendees included Jean Ary Ceant, consul general of Haiti in New York, and Ugandan Ambassador Duncan Muhumuza.
“Healthcare is a universal right, not a privilege,” Fidelia said at the event. “The Hearts & Helium Benefit allows us to come together in love and generosity to extend care to communities that need it most.”
Since its first mission to Haiti in 2018, SU2P has led humanitarian trips to El Salvador, Nigeria, and Colombia, reaching more than 10,000 patients through clinics that provide dental, pediatric, OB-GYN, and general medical care.
Dupiton, who has long supported the group’s outreach abroad, has described her experiences on past missions as some of the most meaningful of her medical career.
“I did not hesitate one second to join Stand Up To Poverty for their medical mission in El Salvador,” she said. “Being able to serve the families in El Salvador was truly a rewarding experience.”
One case particularly moved her: an 11-year-old boy diagnosed with acute appendicitis who needed immediate transfer to the nearest hospital. Despite his suffering, the boy appeared relieved that the team was caring for him and that help was on the way. Dupiton learned the next day that he had safely reached the city hospital after a one-hour ride, undergone surgery, and was recovering. She described the experience as priceless.
“When Haiti became too dangerous for our volunteers, we had to find other ways to serve,” Fidelia said. “We took the mission global because poverty and lack of access to healthcare are everywhere.”
The organization’s next stop is Uganda, where volunteers will travel from Feb. 26 to March 10, 2026, to deliver medical services to rural communities. Fidelia and Alfred said the trip will mirror SU2P’s earlier missions, combining clinical work with educational programming and local partnerships.
SU2P’s medical outreach mission in Colombia in Feb. 2025. Courtesy of Stand Up To Poverty.
Volunteers and healthcare professionals from Stand Up To Poverty during the nonprofit’s community health fair in Brentwood, N.Y., on Sept. 20, 2025. Courtesy of Stand Up To Poverty.
Beyond healthcare, the group also supports food distribution, affordable housing, and education programs. It recently partnered with Digital Urban Farm to create an indoor agriculture initiative that grows organic produce for food banks and creates jobs in low-income neighborhoods.
For Fidelia, one of her most memorable moments came during a medical mission in southern Haiti, when she met a young mother suffering from a severe breast abscess.
“She was in pain for months but too embarrassed to tell anyone,” Fidelia said. “Our doctors were able to treat her, and by the end of the week she was smiling again. That’s when I realized how life-changing this work can be.”
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