100% Pass Rate! On to level two

 

Hope you enjoy our March Newsletter. There is so much going on it was hard to decide how to write it all up.

Here is our most recent report on the Adult Literacy Project. Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest in this important project. It is serving as a tool for community building in the remote villages of La Gonave. Also, take a minute to read up on the latest Trip Reports. We have been busy this month and have exciting news to report from remote health clinics, a new water project and the Children’s Nutrition Program! Ed.

Since when is a meeting with the principal a glorious event?

When you learn that all 158 of the people enrolled in our adult literacy classes passed the final exam!!!

At the tailend of my recent trip to Haiti, I met with Laurence Camille, director of Fonkoze’s adult education division, and Robert Sterling, the man who monitored our teachers.  (We have contracted with Fonkoze to implement an adult literacy program).  Robert told us about the dedication of our teachers  who were trained by Fonkoze to be adult educators and the enthusiasm of the students.  Robert said that he was, initially, very worried because our students had absolutely no basics in reading and writing, but that our groups were successful beyond measure.  Our first group of students is eager to move ahead and there are people in every community who are asking for new classes.  Pere Soner told us that many people in these classes had been marginalized in their communities but were now “standing taller.”

Our teachers will complete their advanced training within a few weeks and we will launch the second level of adult literacy AND start a new level one class.  This was announced to the community at Trou Jacques at their church service last Sunday and the congregation applauded with great delight.

So, in 11 months we have moved from a simple request from one woman to learn how to read ….. to 10 new teaching jobs on LaGonave, 158 people graduating from level one of literacy, a second level of literacy education to begin in March and another level one group of classes.  Li bon!

Submitted by Lee Wilder of Covenant Pres in Atlanta

 

Adult Literacy Update – November 2011

In six short months, the adult literacy program has evolved from a simple request from a group of women at Nan Mango to an active program serving nine communities.  The partnership contracted with Fonkoze, a Haitian organization with over twenty years of experience in adult education, to train selected community leaders as adult educators and provide educational materials and support service for the adult educators.

 

There are now adult literacy classes taking place in Anse-a-Galets, Brois Brule, Lotore, Nouvelle Cite, Gros Mangles, Nan Mango, Trou Jacques, Platon Balai, and Plaine Mapou.

 

We visited classes in Nan Mango and Anse-a-Galets and were touched by the enthusiasm of the instructors and the adult students, men and women.  While in Lotore for a goat clinic, we watched women converge on the school for their adult literacy class.  We asked several about the class and they expressed gratitude for the chance to learn to read and write.

 

The most poignant moment of the week was discovering that one of the cooks at St. Francis, Exillien, was carrying her workbook around and practicing her writing whenever  she had a chance. She was proud to show us that she had learned to write her name.

 

We have funded this program for a year, convinced that literacy is the basis of economic development, improved public health and participation in voting.  Over 100 people are currently in class gaining functional literacy skills.  The next phase of literacy training will prepare participants for economic development programs. As always, further steps depend on funding.

 

 

 

Adult Literacy Training

Hope has paid off! We have a group of newly trained Adult Literacy Educators and we have had a good response to our funding requests. Just four short months ago the women of Nan Mango came to us and said of all things the needed learning to write and read was on the top of their list. We were so moved by their sincerity and hunger to learn that we made it a top priority of ours as well.

Today we received news from Pere Soner that the first group is trained, they will be commissioned at the Feast Day of St. Francis in Anse-a-Galet this Sunday and he will begin to make placements. There were 14 women and men trained. Ten will move on to be teachers and of those 10 2-3 will be selected at the end of the 4 months to go into Port Au Prince and receive further training.

Pere Soner had the nicest things to say about how well the Fonkoze trainers had done their job and he is encouraged about the long-term growth and sustainability of this program.

Congratulations to our friends on La Gonave and to all of our friends here who are helping to make this a reality. We are truly humbled.

 

Adult Literacy

“You gotta have hope…musn’t sit around and mope.”  So goes the old song from Damn Yankees and we decided to take this seriously. With only half the money promised we decided to go ahead with hope and the response has been encouraging. We engaged Fonkoze to train a person this week so we could begin our program next week. We were able to use funds available to make this happen and that is also where the hope comes in.

We are hoping that all of you believe that literacy for all is an important part of economic development and justice for all. We are hoping that all of you will be willing to make a contribution to see to it that this program is fully funded and sustainable. With our faith and hope we have told Pere Soner to go ahead and tell the people who will be our new teachers to show up next week and begin their training. We are committed to funding this program so that the people of La Gonave will have the opportunity to become educated and take their place in the economic development of the island.

In four short weeks we will be on La Gonave to meet with these Adult Literacy groups, to observe the training and to be sure the program is on the right course. We are sure that the money we need to make this happen will come and we will be happy if we can tell everyone “this program is fully funded.”  Please show us that this hope is not in vain, for we truly believe what Fredrick Douglass once said: “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

To donate use the button to the right of this page or go to our website http://lagonavepartners.org/ and under Education you can find the Donate Now button that will specify your gift to further Adult Literacy.

 

Challenge grant for adult literacy

Great news!  we have just received a challenge grant of $8,700 for our adult literacy program.  We have contracted with Fonkoze to train 12 of our community leaders as adult literacy educators.  Fonkoze will closely monitor these teachers as they teach small groups of adults in their communities.  At the end of one year, we will have 12-15 highly trained educators and 150+ people will have attained functional literacy.

Help us earn this matching grant!  We will hit the ground running as soon as we reach our fundraising goal. Click the button below to donate to the Adult Literacy campaign.

International Exchange

For the last year the French students at Westminster School in Atlanta, GA under the leadership of Becky McKnight have maintained a learning relationship with the French students at St. Francis School in Anse-a-Galet on La Gonave. They have also set up a website to facilitate learning.

The website is a result of a new partnership or scholarly exchange between The Westminster Schools and the College St. François d’Assise in La Gonâve, Haiti.  In 2010, twelve scholars from La Gonâve partnered with twelve juniors from Westminster to build a website both to market the school among the Haitian population and to provide a vehicle for joint scholarship.  The spring semester brought the exchange of ideas and essays based on L’Enigme du Retour, the novel by Haitian author Dany Laferrière. The Westminster students also participated in a fund raising campaign to benefit their peers in Haiti.  During the 2011-12 school year, the exchange will continue with a planned visit by one of the professors from St. François as well as the continued literary forum, this time concentrating on Laferrière’s earthquake story, Tout Bouge Autour de Moi.

Please take time to visit these sites. The students are very proud of this on-going experiment in learning.

St. Francis School website:  http://collegelagonave.org/En/America.html (English) and http://collegelagonave.org/index.html (French)

School Lunch Program

Holy Cross Church/School partnered with First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA
La Gonâve Haiti
June 6, 2011

While our Mission team was visiting our Partner church/school in Nouvelle Cité on the island of La Gonâve in January of 2008, we noticed that school enrollment was down and many of the children showed signs of malnutrition. The possibility of a school lunch program was discussed as a potential nutritional remedy with the additional benefits of both increasing regular attendance as well as raising academic performance. The Haitian food shortages along with skyrocketing prices in April of that year brought a sense of urgency.

Once a Proforma was received from the Priest in charge, funds were sent for the purchase of the utensils and supplies needed to begin. Cooks were hired to prepare and serve a hot lunch to the students and staff two days a week. All of the supplies and the water needed were carried to the school either by truck (if available) or by the cooks and other adults. The food was prepared and cooked outside the classrooms in large iron pots over charcoal fires.

When lunch was ready, the older students picked up the plates two at a time and carried them to each classroom where children sat waiting for what was often their only meal of the day. Only when everyone was served, and the blessing was said, did they begin to eat. After lunch, the plates and spoons were picked up and returned to the cooks who washed the items outside in large pans and buckets.

In January 2010, during our yearly health fair, we found that the students looked healthier with fewer signs of malnutrition. The teachers reported better school attendance as well as improved academic achievement. While we were visiting, Haiti was hit by a devastating Earthquake that changed the lives of many Haitians as well as those of our mission team and people watching around the world. Schools were no longer in session and survival became the number one priority. Many trips were made to the island of La Gonâve with supplies donated from throughout the Atlanta area. During this time, the lunch program also continued serving a meal two days a week to anyone in the community in need.

After reviewing the positive results of this program with the Priest in charge of the school, we requested a Proforma for construction of a three room building   used for food preparation, cooking, storage and dining. Following committee approval, construction began in July of 2010.

This new facility was dedicated with great joy in January 2011 during our mission visit with our Partners. With the continued support of the church, and many others in our community we are currently sending funds for 178 children and staff to enjoy a hot lunch three days a week during the school year. The results are amazing and gratifying. This program is changing the lives of these children, offering them hope for a better life through improved health and education We pray that one day this program will be able to expand to offer each child  a meal on every school day.

Education

Access to public education on LaGonave is extremely limited, another example of the island’s poverty within an impoverished country.

Most of the schools on La Gonave are run by church organizations and our partnership schools operate under the auspices of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti.  Each of our 11 schools has at least one US partner.  The teachers at our schools are leaders of their communities and come to school dressed in crisp shirts and ties or dresses.  The children come to school in uniforms, often mended hand-me-downs, but the uniforms indicate how valued education is in this culture.  Each of these 11 schools is a center of joy and enthusiasm and energy.

.Our short term goal is to continue to raise money to support the operation of these schools.  Most families do not have enough resources to pay the meager tuition of $135 a year.  We are working with families to subsidize their children’s education.  One of the US partners has developed a pilot lunch program at the school in Nouvelle Citie which has been markedly successful in improving children’s health.  Our long term goal is to replicate this lunch program at the other schools so that each child can have the nutritional support necessary for a strong learning environment.

 

Adult Literacy

In our trip report from March 2011, we spoke of a meeting with the women of Nan Mango. Our wonderful translator Bob told us that this was a very bad idea, that we would be hit with a wish list of things the women wanted us to bring.  We told Bob that we were prepared for that but just wanted the dialogue.  The women talked about the need for healthcare for their families and the ongoing need for water.  They expressed an interest in sewing.  And then, a slender woman from the back of the room raised her hand and came forward.  She said, “you teach our children and help with our school but we want to learn how to read and write too.”  The room exploded in applause and we were overwhelmed by this simple, most basic desire.

Bob had to excuse himself after the meeting to collect himself.  He had been profoundly moved.  When we returned to St. Francis that evening and told Pere Soner about our meeting, his eyes filled with tears.  He had no idea that this desire to read was so intense.  He talked about the mission of his church and how reading was fundamental to that mission.

We returned to Atlanta determined to find a solution.  After much research, we have made contact with an adult literacy training program based in Port-au-Prince and hope to soon report that we have officially launched this initiative.