Compliments to WOZO Choir Director, Alex Myril, for creating this wonderful video of the choir kids singing and talking about their XO laptops.  Special thanks to Waveplace for their vital role in making this project happen, as well as to the many visitors who have encouraged the kids to keep singing!

Here are translations of the first song as well as selections from the interviews that follow:

Lyrics for the first song:
Thank you for sending these laptops;
Thanks for helping us and our communities;
Thank you for helping with our education;
We are full of joy, we say thank you!

Alex’s question: “How do you use your laptop?”
-”Sometime I use it as a calculator, other times I use it to go on the web, sometime I draw pictures. I couldn’t type well before, now I can type very well!”
-”I use it to record music and make videos, to take pictures, and if I learn a new song, I use it to record the song so I can learn it better.”

Haiti Partners is thrilled with our partnership with OLPC and Waveplace, and Acadia School that’s making it possible for more Haitian children to receive laptops and training and for more Haitian mentors to build skills in teaching computers and software.

Thanks to these partnerships, more than 700 children either have already received XO Laptops or will receive them soon. In addition to children discovering a new world of learning through this technology, it’s exciting to see a Professional Learning Community develop among Haiti Partners partner schools as well as other organizations that we’ve invited in to be part of this endeavor, including Mercy Corps, l’Athletique d’Haiti, and AMURT to mention a few.

Last week, Tim Falconer with Waveplace, Adam Holt, Country Director of OLPC, and Caroline Hudicourt, Director of Acacia School and Haiti Partners convened with representatives of Save The Children, Maison de Henri Champs, Architecture For Humanity and many other established organizations and schools to discuss ways to keep moving forward in using technology to improve education in Haiti.

Here children from the Wozo Youth Choir receive XO student laptops.  These rugged laptops are designed for use in contexts like Haiti and encourage students to teach themselves through innovative on-board software called eToys which makes learning fun!  Toward this end, the kids will keep these laptops, allowing them to experiment with them at home and share what they learn with their friends.

Haiti Partners is privileged to be in partnership with Waveplace (to see Tim Falconer’s  blog, click here) and OLPC in helping education in Haiti to leapfrog forward using XO laptops. We’re working hard to equip Haitian children with skills they need to improve their lives and their country.

For more pictures of the XO student laptop project, click here.

For a video of an XO training with Partner School teachers, click here.

Below are a couple videos from a training held for Cite Soleil Community School teachers and four other schools last week.  As part of the training, each school receives 25 laptops and weeks of mentorship and training.  Waveplace creates training materials that teach digital media skills and inspire teachers to teach in more student-centered and creative ways.

To see more pictures of this exciting project, click here.

We want to thank Educa Vision – a  publishing company that specializes in Haitian Creole books – for generously donating many titles for use in our partner schools as well as making books available electronically free of charge on hundreds of XO laptops.  Educa Vision has and is making major contributions for the benefit of Haiti, Haitians and international understanding. We are honored and privileged to be in partnership with them.

We look forward to continuing our partnership with them in the areas of teacher training and early childhood curriculum.  To view Educa Vision’s website, click here: http://www.educavision.com/

Haiti Partners is privileged to be in partnership with Waveplace and OLPC in helping education in Haiti to leapfrog forward using XO laptops. We’re working hard to equip Haitian children with skills they need to improve lives and their country.

Thanks to a donation of more XO laptops from OLPC and to our ongoing partnership with Waveplace, more than 100 children are going to learn skills that help them better use their minds.

I’m (John Engle) here at our home with family and friends–Tim, Bonnie and Adam–riding out the storm. Fortunately, it looks like it’s passed Port au Prince, where Haiti is most vulnerable.

Tim Falconer, Executive Director of our partner Waveplace is keeping a blog during his time in Haiti. Click here. Bonnie Farnell and her son also have a website about their volunteer work. Click here for Bonnie’s website. Click here for OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) site, the organization that Adam works for.

We can’t thank you enough for your prayers and concern for the people of Haiti. Your emails and phone calls are a great encouragement to us.

Below is an update from me (John Engle) from my home after spending the day in Port au Prince in meetings and at customs (to clear another 100 XO laptops for children), not to mention picking up additional food supplies for the dozen people in our home for the next several days.

Again, thank you for your compassion, concern, prayers and support.

Haiti Partners participated in a pilot with Waveplace and OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) of 200 xo laptops in April and May of this year. Last week I (John Engle) visited with about 20 students from our various partner schools to see how they’re progressing. Respecting one of OLPC’s principles, all students in our partner schools keep the laptops so that they can continue learning.

I was amazed to see progress they’ve made in using them: typing, doing illustrations, taking and manipulating photos, creating electronic books, doing math, etc.

I was also deeply touched by “Lordz” story. (pictured below) Her mother was killed on December 26, 2009. Stabbed by her father. “I moved in with my godmother. Then, the earthquake destroyed our home several weeks later. When I become overwhelmed by sadness I grab my laptop and my tears go away.”

Click here for more photos

Short video in front of Haiti Partners partner school, Cabois Community School. It was destroyed by earthquake and thanks to Zyman Foundation and generosity of others, construction of new building is almost complete.