buildingaschool

The non-reconstruction of the State University

buildingaschool — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:01:50 +0000

Putting the nation in peril

Port-au-Prince, February 22, 2012 – Two years after the earthquake, and despite the proposals written, the consortiums organized and the foreign delegations entertained, the University of the State of Haiti (Université d’Etat d’Haïti or UEH) still has not seen any “reconstruction,” and the proposal for a university campus that would unite all 11 faculties remains a 25-year-old “dream.”

Today, the majority of the 13,000 students at the UEH’s faculties in the capital are jammed into sweltering sheds, struggling to hear the professor who is shouting, hoping to drown out the other professors shouting in the surrounding sheds.

Students in a tent "classroom" at the Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medecine which is next to the land the State University hopes to use for a campus. Photo: HGW

View more: http://www.ayitikaleje.org/haiti-grassroots-watch-engli/

Post-quake US food aid hurt Haiti farmers

buildingaschool — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:48:14 +0000

Jacob Kushner
February 13, 2012

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — In the months following Haiti’s devastating January 2010 earthquake, the United States government spent $140 million on a food program that benefited U.S. farmers but has been blamed for hurting Haitian farmers.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) sent 90,000 metric tons of American crops to Haiti as part of the Food for Progress and its related Food for Peace programs run by USAID and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That amounted to almost three quarters of the U.S. government aid to Haiti after the earthquake, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the Haiti Justice Alliance, a Minnesota-based advocacy organization.

Critics said that sending American food aid to Haiti undermined thousands of Haitian growers who were already struggling against imports of cheaper rice and corn — staples of the Haitian diet.

“If you look at the allocation of food aid after the earthquake, the fact that most of it is (Food for Progress) means that the priority for the U.S. government was exporting food from the U.S.,” said Nathan Yaffe, Board Member of the Haiti Justice Alliance. “The evidence suggests that U.S. foreign aid is structured around our economic needs rather than the humanitarian needs of people we’re supposed to be helping.”

Mounting criticism of the perverse consequences of this kind of aid to Haiti has prompted Washington to give more careful consideration to the plan.

The Mexican State of Sonora Launches One Laptop per Child

buildingaschool — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:27:02 +0000

MIAMI, Feb. 21, 2012 – One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide every child in the world access to new channels of learning, sharing and self-expression, announced today that the State of Sonora, Mexico, is distributing 5,000 XO laptops to elementary school children. Adoption of the OLPC program is part of the State’s larger plan to extend Internet connectivity to all its citizens. In accordance with the UN’s declaration of Internet access as a basic human right, Sonora is the first state in Mexico to establish connectivity as a human right in its Constitution.

The OLPC project in Sonora will be implemented by Nueva Generación Sonora A.C. (New Sonora Generation), a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide every child in the State access to the knowledge economy through strategic use of information and communication technologies and programs.

During the next three years, 350,000 XO laptops will saturate all elementary schools in Sonora. In addition, XO laptops will be implemented in more than 100 community centers that will offer connectivity and technical and pedagogical support to students and teachers and for local projects to benefit their communities. The OLPC project has the full support of Governor Guillermo Padres and the mayors of Sonora, as well as the Social Development Secretariat (SEDESOL) of the Federal Government.

“Improving children’s education is a key goal for my administration,” said Governor Guillermo Padres of the State of Sonora. “Society and government must work together to support projects that will ensure a better future for all our citizens. Education is everyone’s responsibility.”

Sonora is the latest Mexican state to launch an OLPC program. In September 2010, 500 XO laptops, funded by Procter & Gamble, were distributed to indigenous children in San Felipe del Progreso, State of Mexico.

In August 2011, the General Department of Indigenous Education of the Ministry of Education distributed 1,800 XO’s to remote schools in the State of Nayarit in Western Mexico. As part of this project, the Sugar learning environment is being translated into several indigenous languages – Huichol, Cora and Mexicanero.

1,900 XOs are also in the process of being distributed to children in the State of San Luis Potosi in North-Central Mexico. For this region, Sugar has being translated into Teenek.

“Our progress in Mexico is based on partnerships between the public and private sector,” said Rodrigo Arboleda, Chairman and CEO of the One Laptop per Child Association. “Mexico is a very diverse country and we are focused on projects that bring learning to all children, including those who speak indigenous languages.”

HAITI: Tougher legislation coming soon for victims of sexual violence

buildingaschool — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:56:10 +0000

….Haiti’s judicial system is largely based on French law dating back to the 19th century. Until 2005, rape was not even considered a crime against the victim. Rather it was a crime against morals — or against the honour of the family.

“One of our biggest challenges is that our laws are no longer up-to-date,” Gonzague said. “We need to modernize them. Everyone agrees that sexual violence laws need to be updated.”

The new legislation is due to be submitted to Haiti’s parliament in the next few weeks.

….“The draft legislation includes many new provisions crucial to ensuring Haitian women and girls are protected. These provisions include a clear and expanded definition of rape, incest and sexual violence, and trainings for medical, legal and judiciary personnel and enforcement officers around questions of violence against women.”

….“There are those within the judicial system who could use this legislation as a tool to improve women’s lives,” Davis said. “But there is also a critical lack of capacity within the Haitian government generally, and particularly within the judicial system, especially following the earthquake.”

As Haitians prepare to celebrate pre-Lenten carnival, a looming political crisis is raising concerns among the country’s foreign friends.

buildingaschool — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:13:57 +0000

….the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, ended a four-day visit to the earthquake-ravaged nation calling on its political leaders to stop the fighting.

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice attends a press conference during a U.N Security Council mission in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday Feb. 13, 2012. A 15-member delegation began the four-day mission on Monday to review the terms of its mandate in Haiti. The U.N. set up a peacekeeping mission in Haiti known by its French acronym Minustah in 2004 following the overthrow of then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

“Haiti’s executive and legislative branches,’’ Rice said, “need to rise above their interests and work together in the spirit of compromise to overcome their common challenges.”

Rice led a 15-member delegation of the U.N. Security Council on a visit to Haiti this week. They left on Thursday after field trips to the police academy, a tent city, cholera treatment facility and new industrial park in the north. They also met with President Michel Martelly, Prime Minister Garry Conille, parliamentarians and business leaders.

“The president and prime minister have prioritized investments to create jobs to build a brighter future,” she told reporters. “But we also understand that improvements in the rule of law, in institution building, fighting corruption and removing other barriers to growth are key to attracting and retaining the quality and quantity of investments that Haiti needs.”

ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD in Haiti

buildingaschool — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:09:40 +0000

by Greta Van Susteren

….Just recently, a contribution was made to Samaritans Purse so that Samaritans Purse could purchase 100 computers for the orphan children. This will open doors for those kids – giving them a chance that they would not otherwise have. I don’t need to tell you how important learning is or what opportunities can be realized with a computer.

What kind of computers? The XO. It is a very, very special computer – and very durable since kids are not known to be that careful with things. Here are some pics of my assistant with the XO computer …plus click on the link below to read stories about the XO. The XO is literally all over the world and changing lives every second! The computer is under $250 but it sure packs a punch and can do everything! The XO computer idea is quite remarkable. The computers are also given directly to the children so that the children actually OWN them. Owning something, and taking pride in it, is important to children – especially children who have nothing.

Link to XO stories: http://one.laptop.org/stories

An organized and sustainable implementation of the XO program will be needed in Haiti to make this program a success.

The Future Artisans of Croix des Bouquets

buildingaschool — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:41:51 +0000

There is a large artisan center in the heart of Croix des Bouquets and it is the destination of many a tourist. Shop after shop of metal workers and painters create wonderful imaginative pieces interpreting their views of Haitian life.
Their signs are even works of art.

Their works are proudly displayed.

The artists hammer out their intricate designs…

Painters sometimes decorate the pieces.

These three dimensional musicians were left unpainted.

Today, we are excited to be searching for young artistic talent in the area. Up to 20 schools are being asked to take part in an exciting talent search with fantastic prizes being awarded. Competitors are being encouraged to submit pieces from many disciplines: cartography, woodworking, photography and more. Much work has been put into this effort and we hope to update you about our finalists in March!

UN Security Council visits Haiti to review mandate

buildingaschool — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:37:26 +0000

By TRENTON DANIEL
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti

The U.N. Security Council began a four-day mission in Haiti on Monday to review the terms of its mandate and evaluate earthquake reconstruction efforts in the Caribbean country.

The 15-member delegation led by U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice plans to meet with senior Haitian officials, tour the future site of a job-generating industrial park and visit a police academy in the capital.
….
The Security Council’s arrival this week coincides with that of two other delegations.

The Caribbean Community landed in Port-au-Prince Monday for a two-day mission that will look at ways to help Haiti recover from the earthquake and try to engage the country more in the regional bloc.

Legal experts from the U.S. State Department are expected to arrive Wednesday to help strengthen the country’s beleaguered judiciary. They also want to support the justice system as it weighs evidence to prosecute former strongman Jean-Claude Duvalier on corruption charges instead of the human rights abuses synonymous with his 15-year rule.

Concern Worldwide in Saut d’Eau

buildingaschool — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:21:45 +0000

W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Concern Worldwide partner to improve literacy rates among Haitian school children

….The program will specifically target 10 schools in and around the town of Saut d’Eau, a rural and extremely poor region in Haiti’s Central Plateau, and focus on improving the reading and writing skills of 2,200 primary school students, grades one to six. Concern will assess the literacy levels in each of the 10 schools and use those findings to create custom educational materials and plans for students. Sixty teachers will then be trained across the 10 schools on how to implement the new curriculum and improve their students’ reading and writing skills.

Send a Valentine…

buildingaschool — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:33:19 +0000

EPHAS shares stories and connects people around the world through the power of photography. We put cameras in the hands of students and provide teaching and guidance. Then, we use the power of the internet to get their stories told. EPHAS currently operates 20 schools in Cambodia, the DR, Haiti, Rwanda, and the U.S., and we share over 300 images per week. We believe that Every Person Has A Story, and that every story deserves to be told!

http://ephas.org/join-support/?utm_source=EPHAS+Master+List&utm_campaign=d6085d9fa6-Valentines_Day_2012_12_12_2012&utm_medium=email

Building School Spirit

buildingaschool — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:07:13 +0000

Jeanide, a recent English Graduate and Kreyol instructor, has taken on the challenge of creating a school competition at Ecole Shalom. The second event of the “Club de Genies” took place on Friday and created great (LOUD!) excitement!

Here the Grade 3 contestants wait for their first question.

There were tense moments when wrong answers cost the team points.

Grade 3 struggled, but won key questions missed by Grade 5.

Jeanide carefully prepared the questions for this event.

There was very strong audience participation and support for both teams.

And this is the guy you want on your team! Richcard was a star for the grade 5 group.

under pressure...

And here Grade 5 celebrates their win.

In all, there were lots of questions on English and current events in France and the Dominican Republic. There were of course some French conjugation questions too. Some particularly good geography questions were asked.

It is hoped that the club will continue on a weekly basis. A nearby educator friend, J-R Magloire, is working on creating an inter-school competition.

Later, they hope to start a blog in which the students can write their ideas and opinions. That ought to encourage their writing skills!

Haiti signs contract to refurbish main hydro plant

buildingaschool — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:52:35 +0000

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The government of Haiti on Friday signed a contract with the French consortium Alstom-Comelex to restore the Péligre hydroelectric plant, the country’s principal renewable energy source.

….Under the project, Péligre will recover its original 54 MW installed generation capacity by overhauling its three turbines and modernizing its electromechanical equipment and control systems. At present the 40-year-old plant operates at a fraction of its potential, forcing Haiti to rely on thermal generators that run on expensive imported fossil fuels.
Read more: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/haiti.php?news_id=9796&start=0&category_id=2

If I may… some personal observations (Yah Man)

buildingaschool — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:43:15 +0000

I have been following the journey of six OLPC contributors as they observed and assisted at two Jamaican schools: Mark Battley (Kenya), Bill Stelzer (Haiti & Nicaragua), Adam Holt (Haiti), Craig Perue (OLPC Jamaïca), Quentin Periès-Joly and Laura de Reynal (OLPC France/Madagascar’s Nosy Komba)

Craig Perue of the Mona School of Business, University of the West Indies, deployed a team in both Providence Methodist Basic School and August Town Primary.

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

It truly is a joy to watch the children and their teachers working together. The many photographs are top quality and reveal a great deal to those of us who have never traveled there.

photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

The OLPC France Blog posting by Laura de Reynal (http://olpc-france.org/blog/2012/02/100-kmh-down-hope-road/) discusses the differences between the two schools in terms of ages of the children, teacher energy and humor, sharing of XOs, teacher confidence with laptops and their hopes and fears in using them.

I would like to make some observations, comparing what I see from these Jamaican experiences with some of what I know of the Haitian experience. After all, the two countries are so very close geographically that it seems appropriate.

My first observation is that the Jamaican children are equally captivating! Who can resist???

photo by Laura de Reynal

Photo by Laura de Reynal

photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

Looking at shots of daily life, things appear economically better off in Jamaica, even though there are similar valid concerns about earthquakes.

Photo by Adam Holt

There is a sense of tidiness, there are sidewalks, there are people of all ages enjoying games on the streets. There appears to be general contentment and a sense of well being.

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

People on the streets are seen with books in hand. I missed seeing newspapers and magazines in Haiti.

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

The schools are nicely painted and even have louvered windows and doors. There are plenty of tables and chairs for the students.

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

The school compound is clean and tidy. See the garbage can there?

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

It appears to me that materials for the Jamaican schools are easier to acquire or locate because language is not a huge issue. In Haiti the decision of what languages should be used for instruction is a major debate. Kreyol? French? Spanish? English? Certainly small new schools cannot deal with all of these. Many of the teachers only know one or two of these themselves. Organizations donating materials to schools for classrooms and libraries have an easier time locating English language posters, books, globes, and other materials. At Ecole Shalom in Croix-des-Bouquets Haiti, I personally must translate Pen Pal letters and game instructions.

Photo by Adam Holt

Notice the sense of humor and the colorful wall decorations too!

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

The teachers at these two schools seem to make excellent use of their resource people and volunteers.
Here you see teacher-trainer Racine with the students.

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

And here is Laura giving hints to the faculty.

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

Teachers participate in the OLPC effort and make use of the laptops in their daily activities. The XO activities in English are useful at even the beginning levels because the children are taught to write in English at a very young age. In Haiti they are learning their colors at this stage.

Photo by Laura de Reynal

And of course the children love the laptop activities and are very comfortable with these.

Photo by Laura de Reynal

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

Photo by Laura de Reynal

I believe that in Haiti, the teachers are nervous about familiarizing themselves with the laptops and insecure about what these offer the children. They take less pride in their classrooms and decorations, and tend to watch the clock, hoping to leave school early. (And of course life IS very stressful there.) They need skills and training to become confident and better at teaching.

The Volunteers at Ecole Shalom rotate frequently. They tend to be English speaking, and so cannot interact much with staff or students on academic things. Volunteers tend to work on building, animal husbandry, micro-finance, gardening and stitchery projects. What teaching they do is done in the afternoons only, strictly in English. Of course, because the children are so appealing, the volunteers take them for walks, play some games with them and do lots of coloring.

In Jamaica, it appears that volunteers contribute to the XO learning process, and this makes all the difference.

Photo by Laura de Reynal

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

And these photos? Well, I just can’t resist shots of children!!

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

Photo by Laura de Reynal

Photo by Quentin Periès-Joly

OLPC visitors in Jamaica

buildingaschool — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:58:59 +0000

It is early February, 2012, and OLPC community members from Kenya, Haiti, Madagascar and elsewhere gathered in Jamaica to get to know firsthand OLPC schools, their teachers, their parents, their sponsors, their government, and most important Their Children. Early reports back are extremely positive:

Jamaica’s accomplishments and challenges are beyond description. Six of us here are working hard together. The talent is unmatched — an extraordinary reminder of the value of executive clarity, civic media-making, school-mentoring talent – where everyone not only talks about education – but achieves it too!

A photo journal
A wonderful new environment

Providence Methodist Basic School

students

clean your hands time!

A busy schedule for all to see.

Lunch!

Checking out Laura’s photos

Another school to see…

August Town Primary School staff

The tech support crew

Kids building their own Memorize games

Racine trains teachers at both schools

Mediamaker Mark teaches his craft

Fototoons Lesson

Working with what they’ve learned

Laura presents…

There are many posters and displays…

many topics…

And then the lovely UWI’s amazing Mona Campus

with its very own aqueduct

UWI student population is in fact ~80% female

OLPC Jamaica presentation… Craig concludes.

Everyone gathers to digest the events.

And how do we move forward? Adam and Quentin ponder the big questions.

Update on Ecole Shalom’s Construction of Classrooms

buildingaschool — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:19:01 +0000

Baker University students recently visited Ecole Shalom near Croix-des-Bouquets for a two and a half week interterm course. Eleven Baker students took the class in Haiti and lived on the Haitian-American Caucus’s compound there.

Baker University senior Jessica Shiney (left, from Louisburg) and junior Madison Mater (right, from Eudora) saw individual pieces of rebar used during the construction of new classrooms for Ecole Shalom.

I think that’s Volunteer Mark directing construction on the right below.

Baker University senior Molly Schmeidler, of Hays, smoothes out the cement of the foundation for the future construction of four new classrooms for Ecole Shalom, the primary school located in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti.

Cleanup coalition in Haiti’s largest slum

buildingaschool — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:52:03 +0000

A clean-street mural in Cité Soleil by local artist Romeo.
Gary G. Yerkey

“We’re proud that this has become the cleanest and safest neighborhood in all of Cité Soleil,” says Luckson Saint-vil, secretary-general of the neighborhood organizing committee La Difference that spans about four square blocks. Gang members feel unwelcome and weapons have been banned, he says.

He says that the residents have also been talking up their success in other parts of Cité Soleil. “Our message is simple: It is not your neighborhood that makes you; it is you that makes your neighborhood.”
Read more here: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2012/0203/Cleanup-coalition-in-Haiti-s-largest-slum