Programs Building on the Positive

Adult Education

Last year ... we supported adult literacy programs of four Haitian organizations and adult basic education programming with four other organizations. We conducted an evaluation of two of our post-literacy education programs, demonstrating their power to improve child welfare and improve farming practices. One of our partners (AAPLAG) has begun experimenting with a new adult literacy training methodology called REFLECT.

This year ... we will complete a new edition of our adult education programming that promotes sustainable agriculture and (in collaboration with FONKOZE) will integrate a new component focused on reproductive health, family planning, and AIDS prevention. We will continue our work with current partner organizations in over 30 communities and will extend our adult education programming to at least three additional partner organizations.

Coordinated by Jude Appolon. Our budget need for the coming year is $85,670.

Three members of the Fon Plezi literacy center on Lagonav work at the board as their first-year class meets outside to take advantage of the afternoon light and cooler air.

The Campaign to End Child Servitude

Last year... we continued to build networks of local, regional, and national organizations committed to ending child slavery. We helped train and mobilize new leaders and organize events (marches, press conferences, street theater) and radio programming to increase public pressure to stop the exploitation of children. We developed a second edition of a five-book child rights training program. Over 500 community leaders participated in this 16-session program. We also developed a community mapping and household survey program that enables us to identify and track vulnerable children and evaluate efforts to help them and their families. Four hundred households participated in an initial survey. We began training a team of Haitian social workers who will equip community volunteers to protect children and help parents keep or be reunited with their children.

This year... an additional 1,300 families will be integrated into our mapping and survey program. We will complete the beta version of a child and family welfare database to capture and manage information from surveys and casework. Then we can evaluate the effectiveness of our efforts to stop the flow of children into servitude, reunite children with their families, and protect children separated from their families. We’ll continue supporting the growth of networks and coalitions working to stop child slavery. An additional 1,200 leaders will participate in our child rights training program. We’ll initiate a new program to train groups of peer social workers who will help vulnerable families keep their children and protect children who have been separated from their families. We’ll develop a training program in international standards of care for vulnerable children.

Coordinated by Guerda Lexima-Constant and Marc Orel Lindor.  Our budget need for the coming year is $263,585.

Haitians march in Port-au-Prince on Mother’s Day to protest the practice of child servitude, which separates children from their mothers, and to pressure the government to play a more active role in protecting children.

Circles of Change

Last year… our Circles of Change network expanded into hundreds of additional communities, equipping leaders, teachers, and parents with skills that help children and adults discover their potential. Members in our network used Circles’ methods in over 150 schools. More than 300 Haitians participated in Circles’ training ranging from 2 to 6 months. We held the 8th Annual Open Space meeting, convening teachers and leaders from throughout Haiti, and launched a 3-year Capacity Building Program for 40 key people in our network. We also created a new Creole website and reprinted 5,000 copies of Reflection Circles.


“Again and again I’ve watched people who go through Circles of Change training come alive, transforming themselves and their relationships, and having new energy and creativity to find solutions to their problems,” says Paulaine Presandieu (middle), who is part of our Capacity Building Program.

This year… we’ll develop a training module for Social Enterprise for Advancing Quality Education as part of our 3-year Capacity Building Program (CBP). We’ll get 35 laptops to members of CBP who don’t have a computer. At least 50 additional groups/schools will receive Circles training. We’ll also launch Haiti Partners (learn more on page 6) and Eksperyans la Foundation in Haiti to more effectively advance this work.

Coordinated by John Engle and Fremy Cesar in Haiti. Our budget need for this year is $183,038. Learn more at http://www.haitipartners.org/.

Living words

Last year… we printed and distributed 10,000 Christian education books and Bible studies. In addition we created and printed 7,000 copies of a new book in Creole about prayer based on the ancient approach called the prayer of examen that has been very well received (it’s based on a chapter from Tony Campolo and Mary Darling’s book The God of Intimacy and Action). We trained leaders in dozens of new churches and schools with our materials. Our network of more than 100 churches continued advancing in shared learning and spiritual growth, as well as in practical projects like 15 new church gardens.

This year… we’ll print 10,000 more Christian education books. Through an exciting new partnership, we hope to distribute a significant number of Creole Bibles. Ten of our leaders are taking part in a 3-year Capacity Building Program of intensive leadership training, practical educational experiences, and a laptop for each participant. We’ll launch Haiti Partners (learn more on page 6). We’ll continue strengthening our network of churches and schools around the country as we introduce our materials to more churches and schools.

Coordinated by Kent Annan and an excellent team in Haiti. Our budget need for this year is $191,555. Learn more at http://www.haitipartners.org/.

Schools Alive/ Child Literacy

Last year ... these two programs consolidated to expand access and improve the quality of education available to Haiti’s poorest children. We provided training in non-violent classroom management, participatory pedagogy, and elements of the national curriculum to many teachers. In Port-au-Prince we trained teachers from 36 schools. In collaboration with Save the Children Canada and Concern Worldwide, we worked with teachers in 128 schools in southeast Haiti and 29 schools in the Central Plateau. We also helped communities start new schools, piloted the use of matching funds to motivate local investment in schools, and experimented with a distance learning program using radio to support remote classrooms that lack qualified teachers.

This year ... teacher training will extend to new schools in each region, and an additional network of 21 schools on the island of Lagonav. School directors will receive new training in educational supervision. We will begin investing in a “micro-endowment” initiative to offer poor rural communities the opportunity to generate funds to build and staff their own schools.

Coordinated by Jhony St. Louis. Our budget need for the coming year is $126,616.

Two teachers who are taking part in a Schools Alive training seminar in southeast Haiti.

Transformational Travel

Last year ... we hosted groups from Missouri State University, Eastern University, Houston Baptist University, and the Faith and Money Network. These groups met with local leaders and stayed with typical Haitian families, learning what life is like on the other side of the global economic divide. Our staff also met with several other groups visiting Haiti, such as a group of seminary students from Washington, DC. We also accompanied a number of individual supporters on visits to particular projects.

This year ... we plan to host Atascocita Lutheran Church, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Eastern University, and other groups. We also plan to organize groups focused on child slavery, on the Circles of Change and Living Words programs, and on other projects.

Coordinated by Cindy Koser. Our budget need for the coming year is $6,284 (beyond participant fees).

Associated Activities

The Matènwa Community Learning Center We deepened our collaboration with this model Haitian school and community development initiative. We served as their fiscal agent in the U.S. processing $146,456 in donations. They helped us host three Transformational Travel groups, train teachers, and pilot new educational initiatives. This year they opened a new library and computer lab with support from Rotary International. They also received delegations of teachers from schools across Haiti eager to see a different approach to education.