Helping Haitians Build the Movement to Guarantee Access to Quality Education

In Haiti, the need for quality education is dire.


  • Only 20% of children actually attend public school.
  • If parents can afford to send their kids to private school, they can usually only afford to do so for a few years.
  • Young children (under 10) often can't attend school because of the dangerous hours-long hikes required to get there.
  • Few teachers have received any form of training to teach.
  • Only 2% of kids actually complete high school.

               More than a simple response.

While this is a dire picture, there is reason for hope. Beyond Borders is helping Haitians build a movement to guarantee quality education for all. We do this in part by networking neighboring schools in the most under-served regions so that they are sharing rather than fighting over scarce resources.

We provide training and materials to teachers who work together to improve their performance and make their schools more vibrant and liberating through training in non-violent teaching methods. We help these school networks develop strategies and find resources for reaching children who are most vulnerable—children from the poorest families and children who have grown too old to start first grade.

Going forward, we plan to mobilize local people to hold the government accountable for using new funding for education in the most responsible and effective way possible. We are also working to provide more tools and educational methods that teachers can use to prepare their students to face Haiti’s challenges outside the classroom and build a brighter future.

Achievements

  • Pioneered a process for networking schools in neighboring communities so they collaborate instead of compete for scarce resources.
  • Initiated parent networks to serve as a force for improving the quality of and increasing access to education.
  • Developed training for teachers in non-violent classroom management and participatory education that prepares students to build democracy outside their school.
  • Created native-language curriculum that promotes active learning and prepares students for life in Haiti outside the classroom.
  • Launched an accelerated education program for children who are too old to start traditional schooling (typically over the age of 10).

Objectives

  • Further develop tools for engaging parents who cannot afford tuition to effectively demand the right their children have to free primary education, as mandated by the Haitian constitution.
  • Help school networks launch annex schools in remote rural areas to make schooling accessible to younger children (under 10) who can’t make longer commutes by foot.
  • Work to ensure that school networks have strong, accountable, democratic management systems and processes.
  • Create a database that captures and monitors the progress of students in networked schools.
  • Develop book banks for networked schools to make textbooks affordable and accessible to all students.
  • Create tools and training that facilitate the natural replication of school networking in new communities and regions.