Before the earthquake – 50% of Haitian children were out of school. Most children who traditionally went to school in Haiti attended private schools – 90% of Haitian schools were private and charged fees. Many poor parents could simply not afford school fees, uniforms, and school supplies and so their children missed out. Nearly half –47%– of adult Haitians are illiterate. Continue reading →
Virginia Tech creates Haiti intern program
BLACKSBURG, Va., May 4, 2010 — The following is a letter from Senior Vice President and Provost Mark McNamee.
On January 12, 2010, an earthquake in Haiti destroyed the lives of students, staff, faculty, facilities, and infrastructure in most of its universities, nearly all of which were located in Port-au-Prince. Much like the selfless outreach in other extreme times of need, I am most proud and grateful for the many ways that the Virginia Tech community has responded to this tragedy, especially through the generous donations and outpouring of support to the various agencies working on relief and recovery efforts in Haiti. Thank you. Continue reading →
Columbian Pop Star Shakira to build Haiti school
Colombian pop star Shakira has met child survivors of Haiti’s earthquake as her charity prepares to build a school in the disaster-stricken Caribbean country. The singer, who has already joined Hollywood actors and other global celebrities to raise funds for the victims of the January 12 earthquake, flew into the wrecked Haitian capital Port-au-Prince aboard a private jet.
At the planned site of her Barefoot Haiti school, she met about 100 children, some of whom danced to her songs. She then toured a camp housing nearly 50,000 people on a golf course. There, she met US actor Sean Penn, whose own charity is also helping victims. “We’ve come to make all the preparations to be able to start the building of a Barefoot school here in Haiti,” Shakira said in a brief interview. Continue reading →
Schools Reopen in Port au Prince
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Schools are opening across Haiti’s capital for the first time since a devastating earthquake hit nearly three months ago. It’s a major step toward normalcy, but the hard-hit education system is just beginning to recover. The Jan. 12 quake damaged or destroyed some 4,000 schools. Nobody wants to put children back under concrete roofs and many schools are waiting for tents.
Only a few hundred schools are expected to open this week. UNICEF education official Mohamed Fall said the goal is to have 700,000 children back in school by the middle of next month. Educators said Monday they will focus on providing emotional support for traumatized children before picking up the regular curriculum.
Fattah to Team up With First Lady of Haiti, Paul Vallas to Rebuild Education in Haiti
WASHINGTON, March 11, /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Congressman Chaka Fattah (D., PA) this week met with first lady of Haiti Elisabeth Preval, Louisiana Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas, and George Washington University President Steven Knapp to discuss the future of education in post-earthquake Haiti.
At the meeting, it was announced that Haiti will be launching a new national effort to increase access to high-quality publicly funded education for all of the nation’s children. This work will build on the success of post-Katrina education in Louisiana with the assistance of Paul Vallas and Congressman Chaka Fattah. Vallas, who has been praised for his work in rebuilding New Orleans schools from the ground up in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, will work with the people of Haiti and Congressman Fattah to rebuild Haiti’s educational system. Continue reading →
Operation Blessing opens makeshift school in Port-au-Prince
Operation Blessing, a Virginia Beach-based international humanitarian organization opened a makeshift school adjacent to a tent city in Port-au-Prince. About 500 Haitian children showed up on its first day, a news release from Operation Blessing International said. The school, which will cater to grades 1 through 6, is being held inside a 40-by-60-foot tent that had previously been used as a mess hall for Hurricane Katrina relief.
Classes will take place on weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon and activities have included hygiene training, camp safety and basic first aid. Formal classes began today. The school was set up adjacent to Camp Dadadu, a tent city housing about 7,000 earthquake victims on a soccer field. It is believed to be one of the first schools to open since the deadly quake struck January 12, 2010.
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Educators see opportunity in ruined Haiti schools
By JONATHAN M. KATZ (AP) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — After seven weeks with seven kids huddled under a shelter of tarps and bed sheets on the median strip of a busy road, Lissithe Delomme says the Haitian government can’t reopen schools fast enough.
“If they would open right now I’d be pretty happy,” she said, trying to ignore the tumult of two of her boys wrestling as she fried up a batch of plantains for sale. “They’re just sitting around doing nothing.”
The Jan. 12 quake dealt a devastating blow to Haiti’s already struggling schools: More than 80 percent in the earthquake zone were damaged or destroyed. All in Port-au-Prince and the other affected towns remain closed, and with tens of thousands of bored and restless children living in increasingly squalid encampments, patience is growing short. Continue reading →
Have dinner at ESU tonight to help Haiti school rebuild
East Stroudsburg University is hosting a dinner tonight to benefit victims of last month’s earthquake in Haiti. The Haitian Dinner will take place 5 to 7:15 p.m. in the university’s dining hall, Dansbury Commons, on Normal Street in East Stroudsburg. The cost is $9 per person, with $2 from each meal to benefit earthquake victims through an initiative by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. PASSHE is developing plans to adopt an educational institution in Haiti that needs financial support to rebuild. Continue reading →
World Food Program Begins School Feeding Program In Haiti
The World Food Program and other United Nations aid agencies are scaling up their humanitarian operations for millions of Haitians affected by the earthquake, which devastated their country in mid-January. The World Food Program reports it is beginning a program to provide cooked meals for thousands of school children in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Monday.
The United Nations reports about three-million people, almost one-third of Haiti’s population, have been badly affected by the earthquake. It says improvements have been made in reaching those in need of food, water, healthcare and shelter.
But, it notes humanitarian needs in Haiti remain great and the emergency phase of humanitarian relief operations will have to continue for many months.
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