Click here to read an article in Christian Science Monitor about Haiti Partners work in social business to improve quality of education in Haiti.

The Kenbe La Foundation was founded by New Zealander Emily Sanson-Rejouis in honor of her husband Emmanuel (Haitian) and their two small children, Kofie-Jade (5) and Zenzie (3) who lost their lives in the 2010 earthquake. Click here to read this story of tragedy and hope that brings tears to my (John) and my wife Merline’s eyes nearly every time we think of it. Like countless others, we draw inspiration from Emily’s determination to “Kenbe la” (Never Give Up) and to help children in Haiti.

Please, I encourage you to watch this video. It fabulously communicates Haitian talent and also determination in the face of tragedy. My children Daniel (5) and Leila (3) request it be played regularly. They break into dance immediately when hearing it and sing along. Kofie-Jade, Zenzie and Emmanuel, we regret we never met you even though we feel like we know you. We feel your spirits here with us when our family dances together to Kenbe La.

Haiti Partners is honored to be in partnership with Kenbe La Foundation. Three containers filled with school furniture and supplies and a prefab building that will be used as a clinic beside Henri Christophe School are on their way to Haiti. Once they land, the UN (Emily and Emmanuel were UN staff) will deliver them to Darbonne for our partner schools. Emily and a team of construction professionals are planning to come to Haiti in April 2012 to work with community members to erect the building and transform the containers into usable space for a clinic and the school. Emily, Merline and I can’t wait to finally meet you in person.

Allan and Mary Pautz Klotche came to Haiti again as planned. In addition to spending time with Wozo choir, they did a music seminar for 22 school directors and teachers on how to use music to improve children’s learning and create more joy in the classroom. It was a great success. Allan and Mary rallied their friends and colleagues and created music kits that for each of Haiti Partners seven partner schools. Each kits include instruments, ipods equipped with music, speakers etc and have a value of nearly $400.

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.

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.

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

We are pleased to report that Annonciation Community School is nearing completion of their own classroom building!  Through a generous gift from church supporters in the US, the leadership at Annonciation connected with Haiti Replacement Homes to build them a 6 room, earthquake and hurricane resistant classroom building.  HRH uses local labor, rubble from the earthquake, and engineering expertise, to build seismically safe and environmentally friendly structures while supporting the local economy.  To learn more about their economically, culturally and environmentally responsible approach, click here: http://haitireplacementhomes.org/.

For more pictures from Annonciation Community School, click here.

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.

We’re saying goodbye to friends Allan Klotsche and Mary Pautz as they return to Vero Beach tomorrow. But, they’ll be back soon!

Below, Mary and Allan are pictured with WOZO, Haiti Partners Youth Choir.

It’s been wonderful having them with us in Haiti during the last several days. In addition to spending time with Haiti Partners Youth Choir and providing valuable insight as choir prepares to travel to US for the first time, they also met with school principals and teachers in several of our partner schools to explore the possibility of having them return to do a seminar in using music in education.

Allan has played a key role in creation and development of Haiti Partners. One example of his critical role in Haiti Partners work is that following the earthquake, he facilitated the donation from Briggs and Stratton, and delivery of 240 5.5 Kw generators.

Allan and Mary are scheduled to be back in October to do a seminar with school principals and teachers with our partner schools on music in the classroom: How to help children develop the joy of music and how to use music to help children to develop skills in reading, math and in critical thinking.

Haiti Partners is excited about this partnership. Thank you, Allan and Mary!

Click here to view more photos of Allan and Mary meeting with educators in Darbonne and also with Haiti Partners Youth Choir.

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.