Haiti Partners in Christian Science Monitor
January 28, 2012
Click here to read an article in Christian Science Monitor about Haiti Partners work in social business to improve quality of education in Haiti.
Posted in Annonciation Community School, Bèl Platon Community School, Cabois Community School, Cité Soleil Community School, Henri Christophe Community School, IMN Community School, Lalo Community School, Partner Schools, PARTNERS Program, Social Enterprise for Quality Education, Special Projects, STUDENTS Program, Vista Hermosa Foundation | No Comments |
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WORLDBLU Team in Haiti
December 25, 2011
My co-workers and I (John Engle) were thrilled to host in Haiti the WorldBlu team December 10-17. Their training on organizational and workplace democracy for our partner school leadership teams and for 35 people in our LEADERS Program was incredible.
We are so grateful to Vista Hermosa Foundation for making their visit possible. WorldBlu team also participated in Open Haiti Camp open space meeting, that was a follow-up to TEDx Port-au-Prince, and met with business and NGO leaders. Haiti Partners is deeply grateful to be part of the WorldBlu worldwide network of democratic workplaces. Thank you for making time available, WorldBlu team, to spend time in Haiti to help us build better schools and institutions!
Click on links below for albums of photos:
Habitat Santo Visit
Visiting Partner Schools
Seminar for Partner Schools Leadership Teams
LEADERS Program Seminar
WORLDBLU, Miranda Ash’s Photos
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WorldBlu Team in Haiti
December 12, 2011
My co-workers and I (John Engle) are having a wonderful time hosting WorldBlu team in Haiti this week. They’re putting photos and updates on their Facebook page. Click here.
We are so grateful to Vista Hermosa Foundation for making their visit possible. In addition to them participating in Open Haiti Camp open space meeting, that was a follow-up to TEDx Port-au-Prince, they’re networking with business and NGO people and will do seminars for leadership teams of Haiti Partners partner schools and for 35 participants in our LEADERS program. Thank you for being here, WorldBlu!
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Children’s Academy – Community Engagement
December 4, 2011
It’s exciting to see community involvement in construction of Children’s Academy. Below is video and photos of foundation being dug and also of folks clearing land in preparation for a large open space community meeting to discuss “The Role of Education in Development of a Community.”
Below that is a video of a community meeting in November. There are 55 community members (2 groups) participating in Circles of Change training, which helps develop communication and collaboration skills. They are also doing research toward developing a business that generates revenue for the school.
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GRAMEEN FOUNDER, Muhammad Yunus in Haiti
October 14, 2011
Nine of my close colleagues and I (John Engle) drew inspiration from Muhammad Yunus today. Hats off to Grameen Creative Lab for organizing this conference of thought leaders, entrepreneurs (all ages) and many like my colleagues and I who are committed to social business. It was wonderful to see the two young people awarded their prizes of all expenses paid to participate in Social Business Conference in Austria.
Later in the afternoon I joined with others working in close partnership with Grameen to discuss with Muhammad Yunus our various plans and projects for social businesses. His insights, questions and comments that come from decades of experience are golden.
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Social Business Meeting
September 27, 2011
Here’s a super quick video (14 seconds) of community meeting yesterday with Philippe Lagrenade facilitating a brainstorming about possible social businesses that could help fund the Children’s Academy and which will also help meet a community need. Philippe is doing meetings like this with all communities where our partner schools are. Today he arrived in the remote community of Bel Platon on the island of La Gonave.
We’re fortunate to have Philippe and to be in partnership with Grameen Creative Lab. Click here to learn more about this partnership and Grameen Creative Lab.
Posted in Annonciation Community School, Bèl Platon Community School, Cabois Community School, Capacity Building 3 Training, Cité Soleil Community School, Haiti Partners, Henri Christophe Community School, IMN Community School, Lalo Community School, Partner Schools, Social Enterprise for Quality Education, Uncategorized, Vista Hermosa Foundation | No Comments | Email This Post
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Jesse and Scott’s Next Haiti Trip
September 17, 2011
Haiti Partners’ special friends and partners, Jesse Engle and Scott Henderson, are inviting their special friends to come to Haiti with them. Below is their invitation. Haiti Partners is incredibly grateful to you, Jesse and Scott, for your partnership. Thank you for what you’ve already helped us accomplish in terms of impacting lives! We’re excited about what’s possible in our partnership with both of you and with your team as we work to help Haitians change Haiti through education.
A message from Jesse and Scott:
Haiti Trip – Social Business for Quality Education
We’re inviting a special group of friends and colleagues to join us on a trip to Haiti. You are someone we enjoy being around and think has an important perspective to contribute to our efforts. Our intent is to assemble a small, well-connected group of quality human beings to join us as we explore how we can help Haiti Partners and Grameen Creative Lab Haiti in their efforts to use social business to tackle the challenge of quality, accessible education.
Only 8% of Haiti’s schools are publicly-funded, leaving the rest to charge fees too expensive for many families. As a result, nearly 50% of school-age children aren’t enrolled in school, and those who are often receive a poor education from teachers who lack adequate training and materials. While the government is working to make free, quality education available to all children, it will be many years before this goal is realized. In the meantime, Haiti Partners (co-founded by John Engle) has teamed up with Grameen Creative Lab to pilot social businesses at seven Haitian schools that Haiti Partners supports. Click here to learn about their strategy financed by loans from SAP and Accenture, which will accomplish the following:
- Create additional revenue streams to help fund teachers’ salaries, staff development, supplies, and facilities, which will reduce their reliance on school fees and outside support.
- Develop a culture of entrepreneurism among administrators, teachers, students, and parents that will help create jobs and drive economic growth in their communities.
Our goal on this trip is to better understand this initiative with its challenges and opportunities, and explore ways that we can partner with Haiti Partners and GCL to support these efforts.
DATES
Arrive in Haiti: Thursday AM, November 17, 2011
Depart for US: Monday AM, November 21, 2011
ITINERARY WILL INCLUDE
- Visiting several partner schools; meeting with administrators, teachers, students and parents
- Spending time with staff of Grameen Creative Lab and meet with representatives of the Ministry of Education
- Meet with Richard Morse, special advisor to Haiti’s president, owner of the historic Oloffson Hotel and an important Haiti tweep.
- Going to performance of RAM (Richard A Morse band) at Oloffson Hotel
- Hiking in the beautiful mountains of Haiti
- Enjoying some wonderful Haitian cuisine, coffee, and rum
- Browsing Haitian art on streets, in boutiques and in a gallery
- Meet with Haitian business leader(s)
We will stay at home of John and Merline Engle (also known as the Bellevue Guesthouse), which is located in the mountains several miles south of Port au Prince. It’s a lovely setting tucked amongst the trees, with a beautiful view of the city. Some of us will sleep in the house and some of us will sleep in large tents equipped with beds and bedding. Click here for documents about what to expect in Haiti, Haiti Partners philosophy and approach to hosting visitors, information about immunizations, an introduction to Haitian-Creole, etc.
We’re excited about this trip and look forward to you being a part of it!
Jesse Engle and Scott Henderson, Haiti Partners friends and partners
Posted in Partner Schools, Social Enterprise for Quality Education, STUDENTS Program | No Comments | Email This Post
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Philippe Lagrenade Joins GCLH and HP
September 3, 2011
We welcome Philippe Lagrenade to our team!
We’re excited about helping more Haitian children have access to quality education thanks to our partnership with GCLH (Grameen Creative Lab Haiti)
Philippe has extensive experience in helping groups start businesses in Haiti and in consulting small businesses. Thanks to a grant from Vista Hermosa Foundation, Philippe’s joined the staff of Grameen Creative Lab Haiti and will focus full-time on helping Haiti Partners partner schools to develop social businesses that will accomplish three things:
- Provide a well-needed product or service for community
- Create an additional revenue source for school which can help pay teachers’ salaries and other school expenses
- Help school staff, students and parents learn entrepreneurship
Below is short video from our meeting yesterday at GCLH offices introducing Philippe to representatives from our partner schools and discussing plans for moving forward together.
GCLH Country Director Claudine Francois in photo below with HP Partner School liaison Abelard Xavier
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LEADERS Seminar – Social Business
August 15, 2011
Last week was another LEADERS seminar. Our LEADERS program consists of four seminars a year over three years for community leaders and school principals. The focus of this year’s seminars has been social business. In December this 3-year phase will be finished and we plan to start a new three year LEADERSHIP Program in March 2012. Click here to learn more about the three-year training that is finishing in December. Click here to learn more about the social business component.
Click here for more photos from LEADERS Seminar focusing on Social Business.
Posted in Capacity Building 3 Training, Capacity Building 3 Training, Circles of Change, LEADERS Program, Social Enterprise for Quality Education, Vista Hermosa Foundation | No Comments | Email This Post
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Partner School Meeting
August 15, 2011
Last week we had a day long meeting with representatives from leadership teams of our partner schools. It was a super productive day going over what’s working well, what the challenges are and how we’re going to address them.
We’re making every effort to help our partner schools develop their capacity to not only deliver quality education to students but also to manage resources and finances effectively, track progress and report. The more information that Haiti Partners receives from partner schools, the more we’re able to share with donors to keep them informed about successes and challenges with work they’re helping to make possible.
Click here for more photos.
Click here for a narrative report on this meeting.
Posted in Annonciation Community School, Bèl Platon Community School, Cabois Community School, Cité Soleil Community School, Henri Christophe Community School, IMN Community School, Lalo Community School, Partner Schools, Social Enterprise for Quality Education, STUDENTS Program | No Comments | Email This Post
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Social Business Expert to Help Partner Schools
August 4, 2011
Thanks to our partnership with Grameen Creative Lab and to another grant from Vista Hermosa Foundation we have hired a Haitian expert who will work full-time to help our partner schools create social businesses.
The purpose of this is two-fold. First, it’s a revenue source. Haitian schools rarely have adequate funds to pay teachers even a tiny salary. They limp along without enough funds for materials, decent school furniture or to maintain their modest facilities. Social business offers a potential solution. The school creates an income generating activity, the parents and students can participate along with school director and teachers, and the school develops an addition revenue stream for helping to cover salaries and other school expenses.
The second reason this is so important is because students and teachers learn entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship and education are key for helping a country to develop.
We’re excited for another reason. Our “Natif Natal” film about a Haitian success story of grassroots groups creating social business to pay teachers’ salaries to educate their children is going to be shown throughout Haiti on local television stations. And, we’re going to use this as an opportunity to promote the social business concept in Haiti and to foster greater collaboration among organizations working in social business. Click here to view the film.
Posted in Annonciation Community School, Bèl Platon Community School, Cabois Community School, Capacity Building 3 Training, Cité Soleil Community School, Grants, Henri Christophe Community School, IMN Community School, Lalo Community School, Partner Schools, Social Enterprise for Quality Education, STUDENTS Program, Vista Hermosa Foundation | 1 Comment | Email This Post
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Recycling In Haiti
July 25, 2011
It’s very encouraging to see some of the recycling initiatives happening in Haiti. Thanks to friend Lisa McFadin, I (John Engle) recently met Edouard CARRIE at the Building Back Better exposition outside of Port au Prince, Haiti. Their site, ECSSA Haiti, will be up soon.
Here’s a short video of Edouard explaining how ECSSA Haiti works. Great initiative Edouard and I look forward to using your service to recycle!
Posted in Social Enterprise for Quality Education, Special Projects, STUDENTS Program | No Comments | Email This Post
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Grameen Social Business Lab
May 21, 2011
My co-workers and I are thrilled to be affiliated with Grameen Creative Lab. The Social Business Lab that their Haiti and Germany-based staff organized yesterday at Karibe Convention Center brought together extremely interesting people who are working on interesting things.
Please stay posted. Haiti Partners is committed to social business which can do three extremely important things for our partners schools:
- Revenue generated can help pay teachers’ salaries and cover other expenses in school’s operating budget.
- School leadership, teachers, parents and students will learn more about entrepreneurship.
- The social business will provide the community with desirable products.
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Children’s Academy Community Meeting
May 9, 2011
Yesterday afternoon we had another Children’s Academy community meeting. There were more than 30 children and adults that attended and a core group of a dozen that were there for the entire meeting of nearly 2 and a half hours.
The focus of this meeting was two-fold:
- Discuss possible income generating activities along with a loan and accompaniment that may be available to us from Grameen Creative Lab
- Get feedback on the latest drawings and plans from BAR Architects and Architecture For Humanity.
It’s wonderful to witness the enthusiasm of members of the community for this project and to see how serious they’re taking design issues along with the development of a shared vision of how this school complex can help the community develop in addition to providing the children with a quality education.
In videos below, Jeremy Butler-Pinkham of BAR Architects presents latest plans to get feedback from community members.
Posted in Annonciation Community School, Grants, Haiti Partners, Social Enterprise for Quality Education, Special Projects | No Comments |
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Social Business Seminar with Grameen Creative Lab
May 6, 2011
35 community leaders/school directors are convening for three days as part of Haiti Partners LEADERS Program, which is funded with a grant from Vista Hermosa Foundation.
This is a three-year training to help leaders build capacity in: use of computers (they all receive laptops), in participatory education and leadership, and in institutional development. This year’s focus is social business. Participants convene four times each year. Yesterday we fortunate to have Claudine Francois, Country Director of Grameen Creative Lab (GCL).
Haiti Partners is thrilled to be in partnership with GCL. Among the possibilities being explored for social business that can help our partner schools to become more autonomous is green houses and hydroponics.
Posted in Capacity Building 3 Training, Capacity Building 3 Training, Circles of Change, Haiti Partners, LEADERS Program, Partner Schools, Social Enterprise for Quality Education, Special Projects, Vista Hermosa Foundation | No Comments | Email This Post
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