The plus side of virtual events presented itself during a recent ‘Growing Together’ online affair to raise scholarship dollars for students at the Haiti Partners Children’s Academy. Without the need to travel, the presentation drew more than 250 registrations from all over the United States and around the world.
The evening event was hosted by Haiti Partners board members Houston Kraft, the Los Angeles-based co-founder of CharacterStrong, and Medjy Pierre-Louis, a Haitian American pursuing her doctorate at the University of Colorado. Interspersed were comments from Haiti Partners co-directors John and Merline Engle in Vero Beach, and members of the Haiti Partners staff in Haiti. There were also informative videos, including one about the history of Haiti, a beautiful country dealing with a painful legacy of slavery, political instability and poverty.
Pierre-Louis explained that the mission of Haiti Partners is to help Haitians change Haiti through education, explaining: “The vision is to create a school-based community development model that prepares and inspires children to become those change-makers.”
There are currently 1,350 students being taught at their own Children’s Academy and six other partner schools. Equally important, the children and their parents are learning about entrepreneurship by producing a variety of products to tell their story of resilience and hope.
“We take a long view in mind with our work and education,” said John Engle. Referencing Haiti’s volatile situation, he added “we know that no matter what happens, children need to be educated and we just stay at it. We’re optimistic that Haiti will get on the other side of this in due time.”
Merline Engle said that the Growing Together theme reflects the Haiti Partners philosophy of konbit, Haitian-Creole for a cooperative community, and said their educational model emphasizes collectively working, growing and learning together.
“We see our work as a microcosm of the world. The challenges that Haiti is facing, the challenges that the world is facing, requires that we work and grow together,” she said.
One sweet video featured Leissa, an inspirational 12-year-old student at the Children’s Academy, who shared that the school is a place of joy. A quick learner, Leissa loves technology, speaks three languages, and is learning agriculture and permaculture. She is also missing one of her legs, but likened herself and her community to “wozu,” a type of bamboo that bends instead of breaking. “Big things are happening up here on the mountain,” said Leissa.
The Haiti Partners Haitian-led educational model of patience, trust and love is a complete reversal from that of the traditional Haitian school system, which has been perpetuated by the slavery legacy of teaching by fear and trauma.
John Engle recalled early on in his time in Haiti when a little 6-year-old boy solemnly told him, “Where there is education, there must be punishment.”
“We have learned that children learn best when they are in a safe environment, in loving relationships with people that they trust to care for them,” added Merline Engle. “Trauma, fear and violence can block our learning. Trauma that is not transformed will be likely transferred to others.”
At Haiti Partners, she said, they are addressing generational trauma through social emotional learning and character development.
“We want students to witness respect and collaboration and how teachers and the school staff treat one another and work together in partnership,” she said, adding that they want their children to become world change-makers.
Parents also contribute, participating in adult education and learning self-sustaining, relevant skills such as agriculture and construction. They self-manage village savings and loan groups and assist at the school and the student wellness program. Others work on the production of note cards using paper they handcraft from local plant fibers, or in the home garden program that produces food for the families.
Additionally, Merline Engle is producing Merline’s Caribbean Hot Sauce at the Sunshine Kitchen in Ft. Pierce using scotch bonnets from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with 100 percent of profits currently benefitting schools and other projects in Haiti.
For more information, or to purchase items, visit haitipartners.org.
Photos by Kaila Jones and provided
