Michael Solis - From Roddy Doyle's Fighting Words to Trocaire

by Conor Ryan

Michael Solis

Five thousand miles from aid agency Trocaire's head office in Ireland, Michael Solis, the recently appointed Regional Funding Officer based in Nicaragua, faces a difficult challenge - how to fund a project to restore coffee production in a devastated post-earthquake community in Guatemala before the start of the harvest season in August.

Michael, the recipient of several prestigious fellowships, is a 2010 Mitchell Scholar. Passionately committed to human rights, he studied International Human Rights Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway. During his scholarship year Michael volunteered to work with Fighting Words, a Dublin based initiative set up by Roddy Doyle and Sean Love to help students of all ages develop story telling and creative writing skills. Studying and living in Ireland had a direct impact on Michael's career path and personal development. Meeting Roddy Doyle and seeing first hand the benefits of empowering youth through creative writing, inspired him to explore professional opportunities with youth-focused grassroots organizations in Latin America.

Working in Latin America on leadership development programs for at-risk youth, entrepreneurship initiatives for marginalized communities and even yoga classes for street children, provided Michael with the professional experience needed to work for Trócaire where he is responsible for channeling critical aid and development resources to Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Bolivia, and Haiti.