August 2012 trip

I'm getting ready for my August 2012 trip back to Haiti to check on my projects. Here's what we've accomplished in the past few months:

-We began our first adult literacy class in June 2012. We now have 42 Haitian adults learning to read and write for the first time! (Thank you to their sponsors!)
-I collected more than 250 recorders (Thank you friends and music teachers!) and the children will start their first music class in the fall!
-Major construction of Gentille Elementay is completed
-Bathrooms were build at the school and I recent sent a water pump so the school will have water for hand washing for the first time
-My children collected school supplies, including more than 1000 pencils, and stickers that they distributed to the children at the school
-We began plans to build a science-themed middle school

 

Recorders for the 1st music class

New bathrooms for the children

Mini-library

First adult literacy class

 Want to help?
1. You can sponsor an adult for $70 to attend a 10-month literacy class to learn to read and write
2. You can collect gently used children's books to add to the schools' mini-library
3. You can donate any used laptops in working condition (old, slow, small problems ok)
4. You can send gently used French books for any age (no sex or violence please)
5. You can donate to any of our projects!

As always, thank you for your support!

Literacy class update

We have invited the parents of the children at Gentille Hirondelle elementary school to be the first students in our new adult literacy class. Here is a photo from our first meeting with out first class. The first 10-month course will begin this June!

Can you sponsor a Haitian adult to learn to read and write for the first time? The cost is a mere $10 a month to be a continuous sponsor for several students or $70 total for the 10-month course for 1 student. This includes all books and supplies. Although our original idea was to have a one-month course for $30, the 10-month curriculum we decided on for $70 a student is much more longer and more thorough.

Literacy is such a valuable gift that we take for granted; can you help share that gift with an illiterate adult?

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!