In addition to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance through the PCUSA, I encourage those who are interested in supporting a more local (out of Boston) non-profit that is doing wonderful work on the ground in Haiti - planning especially for the coming months and years with a focus on education, please see the appeal letter below from FAMILY, and consider supporting. Our friend, and my dear brother, Dr. David Mark is a coordinator for this group.
Dear Friend:
As the tragic magnitude of the earthquake damage to Haiti's capital city is revealed, the world mourns with this beleaguered Caribbean nation, already the poorest in the hemisphere. We encourage all of you to join with the many valiant organizations working tirelessly to mitigate the ongoing profound human suffering. We direct you to our website (www.familysystem.net) for a list of ways you can help organizations whose on-the-ground work is vital in these crucial first days and weeks.
But we also want you to consider the importance of joining with us in continuing a second wave of support, one that will be needed for many more years to come. To prevent a widespread crisis of despair, tangible expressions of hope-- in the forms of schools, jobs, infrastructure and more-- are needed in Haiti. FAMILY is at work to do just that.
In the heart of the Artibonite Valley, forty miles north of the earthquake's epicenter, a quiet revolution has already begun. FAMILY is at work with local and international partners to develop a robust educational system in the commune of Verrettes. And with the fallout from this week's disaster, our work has become that much more urgent.
We anticipate that there will soon be significant internal migration within Haiti, as people depart the capital for the provinces, including large numbers of students whose secondary schools in the city have been destroyed. So we have decided to compress our time line for bolstering the local educational system both in Verrettes and in the region south of Port au Prince. With a new sense of urgency, we will work on three key initiatives:
As the tragic magnitude of the earthquake damage to Haiti's capital city is revealed, the world mourns with this beleaguered Caribbean nation, already the poorest in the hemisphere. We encourage all of you to join with the many valiant organizations working tirelessly to mitigate the ongoing profound human suffering. We direct you to our website (www.familysystem.net) for a list of ways you can help organizations whose on-the-ground work is vital in these crucial first days and weeks.
But we also want you to consider the importance of joining with us in continuing a second wave of support, one that will be needed for many more years to come. To prevent a widespread crisis of despair, tangible expressions of hope-- in the forms of schools, jobs, infrastructure and more-- are needed in Haiti. FAMILY is at work to do just that.
In the heart of the Artibonite Valley, forty miles north of the earthquake's epicenter, a quiet revolution has already begun. FAMILY is at work with local and international partners to develop a robust educational system in the commune of Verrettes. And with the fallout from this week's disaster, our work has become that much more urgent.
We anticipate that there will soon be significant internal migration within Haiti, as people depart the capital for the provinces, including large numbers of students whose secondary schools in the city have been destroyed. So we have decided to compress our time line for bolstering the local educational system both in Verrettes and in the region south of Port au Prince. With a new sense of urgency, we will work on three key initiatives:
Build more schools. As a result of our extensive survey of schools and teachers in the spring of 2009, we identified multiple areas within Verrettes-- especially in the mountainous regions on the outskirts of the province-- where kids simply couldn't get to school. Our school-building plan will improve capacity and create local jobs.
Scale up our Teacher Training Academy. Our summer seminar series was a stunning success this year, and provided professional development to hundreds of local preschool and elementary teachers and principals. With support from the Ministry of Education and DePaul University School of Education, we will promote a culture of quality teaching through a two-year, part time, certificate-granting program. This is the first step in the creation of the FAMILY Tuskegee Institute of Haiti – our long-term goal.
Expand youth peer mentoring. As older secondary school youth return from the city, we will integrate them into our network of over forty youth groups, engaging them in projects of community service and peer mentoring in a program patterned after the successful City Year Program in the US.
We strive for local capacity building. Our work in Verrettes is done through partners on the ground-- by Haitians, for Haitians. And we form strategic alliances with relevant government ministries to ensure sustainability and replicability of our efforts. FAMILY is results-driven. We are committed to ongoing monitoring of our programs through a well-developed planning and evaluation infrastructure which involves the community in establishing and monitoring results. And our education program fits into a comprehensive plan for systemic change.
History will regard January 12th as a profound inflection point for Haiti. For now, our world has come together like a family in a heartwarming display of solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering. However, the need for continued support will persist long after the glare of the news cameras has faded. Haiti's future – and ours – depends on the continuing realization that we are one family. Your tax-deductible contribution can help us continue this valuable work. We invite you to join us as we work with others to build a robust and resilient educational system in Haiti.
In solidarity,
Pierre Noel, Riche Zamour, Hal May
and the rest of the team at FAMILY
In solidarity,
Pierre Noel, Riche Zamour, Hal May
and the rest of the team at FAMILY
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