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Day 11

School supplies for a schoolchild in Haiti

Education as an unshakable foundation Education as an unshakable foundation

School supplies for a schoolchild in Haiti
Day 11
Lack of education for children in Haiti’s slums

A Haitian proverb says "many hands make a heavy burden lighter". After a strong earthquake destroyed large parts of the country in a flash, the world's eyes turned to Haiti in January 2010. The disaster relief efforts of the international community and the energy of numerous helpers and Haitians meant that tent cities were built in no time at all and water and food were distributed in all regions. Emergency medical care was also provided quickly. Thanks to an impressive show of solidarity, the country is recovering from the serious natural disaster. Houses are being rebuilt with new hope and everyday life is slowly but surely returning to normal. But the population living in poverty is not content with restoring the old, precarious standard. They see the destruction as an opportunity to create something new and better. In cooperation with experts from numerous NGOs, the conditions in the communities are being analyzed, grievances are uncovered and solutions are developed. The residents are taking their fate into their own hands and driving change forward. The poor population in particular is mostly denied access to education. The citizens want to improve their educational opportunities by quickly rebuilding schools and providing free education for all children. The level of school education is to be raised sustainably, paving the way for Haiti's poor population out of poverty and into a stable and secure future.

Lack of education for children in Haiti’s slums
need
Better educational opportunities for children in the communities of La Digue, Royal and La Hatt in Haiti.
activity
The TECHO Haiti team provides the communities with writing utensils for schoolchildren as well as blackboards and school books.
Measurable performance
The 290 students have writing utensils and the schools have new blackboards and new textbooks available for lessons.
Result
Thanks to the improved learning conditions, the level of learning increases sustainably and a higher number of schoolchildren complete their primary school education.
Systemically relevant impact
The educational level of the youth in the three communities is increasing and this represents a big step for the entire community on the way out of poverty.
background

More than half, or 57% to be precise, of Haitians are under 25 years old (UN 2014). Nevertheless, for decades, politicians failed to adequately support young people. For this reason, around 39% of the Haitian population is still illiterate today (CIA 2016). To date, the education sector has been largely privatized and is therefore mainly reserved for a small, wealthy section of the population. Haiti has long suffered from significant economic problems, but the strong earthquake in 2010 hit the already poor state hard and put it in an extreme emergency situation. A large number of schools and universities were also destroyed (Beauvoir 2010).

This injustice is now to be addressed. Current policy aims to ensure that school attendance is free and therefore possible for all children (Federal Foreign Office 2016). To this end, young Haitians, who were long excluded from reconstruction planning and saw no opportunity to get involved in their own country, want to provide the necessary infrastructure. This has led to numerous projects, often supported by non-profit organizations. An example of this is the cooperation between the communities of La Digue, Royal and La Hatt and TECHO Haiti. Together, other schools and educational institutions in the communities have already been rebuilt and will be operated in the long term. By offering opportunities, pooling forces and launching committed projects, Haiti's youth can now become the driving force of the country.

La Digue, Royal, La Hatt
Day 11 Day 11
The good deed

TECHO Haiti wants to provide the basic needs for teaching materials in three Haitian communities. Every schoolchild between the ages of 7 and 14 will be given a notebook and a pen for their school career, and the remaining funds will be used to 'refurbish' the classrooms with textbooks and blackboards. With these simple means, the quality and level of teaching can be significantly improved. The new educational ladders and bridges represent an important step for the entire community - out of poverty and into a self-determined life.

AboutHaiti
Port au Prince
Port au Prince
Capital city
10 711 100
10 711 100
Population
813 USD
813 USD
Gross domestic product per capita per year
163
163
Human Development Index (Human Development Index)

Haiti is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, marked by economic and climatic problems. Wealth is rare - despite the plant diversity of the colorful tropical island state.

About the organization and further information

organization

Together TECHO eV

Website

http://www.techo.de

Further links