School Supplies and Crafts

Haitian boys with their new pencils

Lots of smiles from these Haitian school girls!

Thanks for the pencils and stickers!

Doing a craft project with the Haitian children

Showing the Haitian kids how to make crazy critters

With the help of the kindergarten and 5th grade classes at Fox Mill Elementary school in Herndon, VA, and some of their nearby friends, my boys collected school supplies and gave them to the Haitian school children. They were so thankful because many of the children didn't even have a single pencil! My boys also gave each child a page of stickers-a definite luxury in Haiti-and did a craft project with the excited children. There is not a lot of joy for children in Haiti, so this day was nice break for them!

Sponsor a child!

Sponsor a child in Haiti! Children writing letters to their sponsor.

Would you like to sponsor a child to go to school in Haiti? Here are pictures of me with some of the sponsored children and photos of them writing letters to their sponsors.

Julie Peters Akey with a child holding a picture of his sponsor

Julie with one of the sponsored children

Lots of new construction!

 

Haitian children at Gentille Hirondelle elementary school

 

In the past year, much progress has been made a Gentille Hirondelle elementary school. An elementary classroom building was completed and a preschool building was finished. Gentille Hirondelle school is now larger and better than before the earthquake. Thanks for your help!

Preschool children in Haiti's Gentille Hirondelle elementary school

  

Pen Pals

I taught the 3rd grade grade class at Gentille Hirondelle for a bit one day in Haiti because the teacher had an emergency and couldn't come. I took the opportunity to have the Haitian 3rd graders (they are 8-11 years old, in grades according to abilities instead of age) write pen pal letters to a friend's French class back in Virginia. It never occurred to me that the children had never written a letter before! There were lots of questions and confusion, but soon they realized that they were supposed to write a response to the letters I brought with me from Virginia. It was fun to do, but I am not completely sure the children made the connection that they were writing to an actual American student!

Haitian children write to American pen pals

My children joined me on this trip, and they collected stickers to bring down to hand out to all the Haitian school children. Although most of the Haitian children had never had stickers before (they are a luxury that they can't afford), I was touched when many generously shared them with their pen pals and decorated their letters with them!

Teach an illiterate Haitian to read for only $70!

As you know, I am partnering with Colorado Spring for Haiti with the joint mission of "helping Haiti through better education". We are currently raising money to build a new science school, but until we've raised sufficient funds, we wanted to embark on some less capital-intensive education projects.

Because over 50% of the adult population in Haiti is illiterate, we are going to begin an adult literacy program in the Tabarre community in Haiti. Would you like to sponsor a Haitian adult to learn to read and write? For only $70 you can give the gift of literacy! Your tax deductible $70 donation will cover instruction and supplies for a 10 months of literacy course for one adult. We will send you the name and photo of each adult student you sponsor to learn to read and write.

As soon as we have 20 sponsors we can begin our first class!

Do you have experience teaching literacy or with French (high school French is ok) and are interested in volunteer teaching? Please contact me at PECHHaiti@gmail.com.

Sponsored Children

Here are some photos (they all look terrified!) of the Haitian children who are being sponsored to attend Gentille Hirondelle elementary school by sponsors in the US. The sponsors pay their child's school tuition for the year. They receive periodic updates and photos of the child throughout the school year. Thank you to all the sponsors!

Three schools

  










Bon jour! Bonjou! As you know, I am raising funds for projects at three schools in Haiti. I welcome your donations for any of the projects at any of these schools. I was hoping to begin construction on the Science Academy when I go to Haiti on April 4th, 2012 (in 3 weeks!) but I haven't raised enough money to begin building. Can you help?

Would you or your school/religious group/work/organization like to “adopt” one of the specific projects?  Please let me know and I will send you more info, pictures, and updates on your project. You will be acknowledged on this blog as well as on the wall of the school.

Thank you so very much for helping Haiti through education!

Below are the estimated minimal costs to construct VERY BASIC facilities.

Tabarre Science Academy (middle school): the Tabarre Science Academy has a plot of land and is ready to begin construction once I have raised the funds. Here are the things the school requires:

-construction of 2 classrooms ($3000) and a science lab ($3000)
-office, security wall, bathrooms, experimental gardens, etc…($6000)
-10 long desks with benches for 40 children to use ($1000)
-chalk boards and instructional materials ($500)
-cost of a shipping container to transport donations from the VA area ($5000?)
-science-themed children’s books and text books (contact me for an address to mail these)
-donations of any type of science-related equipment (health, medical, engineering, environment,
agriculture, etc…) (I first need a shipping container before I can start collecting these donations. Contact me if you can ship to Haiti) ($2000-$8000 if purchased in Haiti)
-generator for electricity ($500)
-a person or organization who can assist us with making our school environmentally friendly by
collecting rainwater, installing solar panels, composting toilets, etc…(please contact me)

Tourism and Hospitality Vocational School (high school): we are ready to begin construction on our vocational school once we have determined we have a reliable water source on our plot of land in Titanyen. Here are the school’s immediate needs:

-a person or organization who can dig a well (please contact me)
-a person or organization who can assist us with making our school environmentally friendly by
  collecting rainwater, installing solar panels, composting toilets, etc…(please contact me)
-construction of 2 classrooms ($3000) and an office, security wall, bathrooms, etc…($15,000)
-construction of full-service restaurant for training including kitchen and dining area ($20,000)
-construction of tourist bungalow for training ($5000)
-chalk boards and instructional materials ($500)
-tables and chairs for students ($500)

Gentille Hirondelle (elementary school): see next blog entry

Updates and Improvements at GH elementary school

morning assembly at school and spring 2011 $500+ donor sign

Here are some photos of recent improvements at Gentille Hirondelle Elementary School in Haiti. Thank you to all of you who have supported the school through your donations!

Gentille Hirondelle was destroyed in the earthquake and has been 75% rebuilt. Here are the things the school of over 300 children is still lacking and the estimated cost for each.

Would you or your school/religious group/work/organization like to “adopt” one of the specific projects?  Please let me know and I will send you more info, pictures, and updates on the progress of your project. You will be acknowledged on this blog as well as on the wall of the school.

   -bathroom facilities and water pump ($3000)
   -generator for electricity ($500)
   -playground balls and equipment ($500-$2000)
   -French-language children’s books for instruction and for the mini-library ($500 or contact me
    for an address to mail these if you can collect them)
   -school supplies for the children-a constant need ($500)
   -teacher supplies and instructional materials for 8 teachers pre-K-6^th grades ($800)

Read for the day to begin

the new kindergarten and pre-school

roof, improvements, and flag pole at main building

teacher using the mini-library and books donated by you!

Yay! New paints and blocks to play with!

Fundraising for Haiti-home made dog biscuits!

My Spanish students at Montessori Community School raisied money for the school in Haiti by making and selling homemade dog biscuits. They called them "K-9 Krunchies". Would your child's school like to fundraise for the school in Haiti too? You can do it all in school or send the ingredients home to make. Here is the recipe:

MILK BONE DOG BISCUITS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

       To add at home:

        3/4 cup hot water

        1/3  cup margarine

        1 egg, beaten

       Dry ingredients (included in this bag):

         ½ cup powdered milk

         1 teaspoon salt

         2 cups white flour

         1 cup whole wheat flour

In large bowl, pour hot water over the margarine. Stir in egg.  Stir in dry mixture, ½ cup at a time.

Knead for a few minutes to form a stiff dough. Pat or roll onto flat surface to ½ inch thickness.

Cut into shapes. Bake  on cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 50 mins. They will dry out quite hard.

Please return the biscuits to school for packaging and sale. 

 

You can make a difference too!

big-eyed Haitian child at the elementary school

People keep telling me that they are so inspired by what I've done in Haiti and it makes them want to make a difference too. Those comments bring tears to my eyes. Like you, I am just your average person, but I believe so strongly in helping the people of Haiti, that I did. After the earthquake that killed 250,000 (That's right, it killed a quarter of a million people!) I was determined to help. 

If you have a project or idea you'd like to do in Haiti and want to fundraise for it, I can help you make it happen! The need is so great. Whether it be with me in Haiti or with something you are passionate about, I encourage you to follow your passions too and share with those around the world who have so little compared to us.You too can help make the world a better place!

they styled my hair like theirs. ha ha!

Haiti is one of those places where one person really can make a difference! But it was thanks to many of you that I raised over $13,700 in the spring to help rebuild Gentille Hirondelle elementary school in Haiti, a school that was destroyed by the devestating 2010 earthquake. I also taught English at the school. I felt that your donations and my volunteering made such an impact that there was no way I could stop the great momentum, blessings, and positive energy I had going. So...I'm going back to Haiti in the spring to get bathrooms built for the 200 children at the school (now they just pee in a cement corner!) and start building 2 new schools: a science-focused one for junior high children and a vocational high school.

I can't do it without your help! Can you, your business, your organization donate to help Haiti through education? Would your child's school or your office like to "adopt" a school in Haiti? Can your family share some of your Christmas cheer helping the children of Haiti who probably have never received a Christmas present at all?

All donations are tax-deductible and are recognized on the "Thank you to" page of this blog. $500 donors names' are painted on a permanent commemorating sign on the school.

Thank you for making the world a better place!

A Haitian child pointing to her favorite drawing from the children in Hawaii

Julie Akey with some of the children at school

shy girls at school