Our Project
The Edeyo Foundation, whose name is derived from the Haitian Krèyol word meaning “help them,” is an independent, nonprofit organization based in New York City, dedicated to improving the future for children in Haiti through education. Run largely by business, medical and educational professionals of Haitian and/or African descent, our mission is to provide a safe, nurturing school environment, along with technology-assisted and other learning materials, nutritional and social support, and the linguistic and critical thinking skills that will ensure future success for our students. Edeyo first established a school in Bel-Air – a “red-zone” area which international NGOs avoid due to security concerns – in 2007; this school was completely destroyed in the earthquake of January 2010. Our goal is now to turn catastrophe to opportunity by building a high-quality, innovative, and sustainable community school for Bel-Air children, who live in one of the most underprivileged parts of Haiti’s impoverished capital city.
The Need for Edeyo’s Work
Before the earthquake, the estimated annual per capita income in Haiti was $480; and according to the Haitian National Ministry of Education and the World Bank, 50% of Haitian children did not attend school. The public school infrastructure remained poorly developed: at least 80% of the half who did attend school chose to go to private schools of varying quality, at an average cost of $80 per year. This cost was unaffordable to many, resulting in a pattern of high dropout rates. Nearly three quarters of primary students (72%) are over-aged. Teacher training is uniformly poor in Haiti, with only 20% having any formal training and many with only a ninth grade education. Educational materials are of low quality, while the average student teacher ratio prior to the earthquake was 46:1. The extent of under-developed educational infrastructure threatens to persist for the foreseeable future. A recent United Nations report reviewing progress on the Millennium Development Goals cited Haiti—along with Somalia–as one of the two worst nations in which to be a school-aged child. High quality, no-cost, private, secular schools are sorely needed if the nation is to repair its intellectual infrastructure.
Edeyo’s Temporary School
For the 2010-2011 school year, Edeyo has rented a small building and built another very basic one-story building on the same street. Both are located on small plots Edeyo rents under long-term leases. These schools, however, are on lots that are too small for our rebuilding plans.
Edeyo’s Plan for Rebuilding
Land: Since many titles to property were lost in the earthquake, properly titled land in Port-au-Prince has grown scarce and expensive, especially in the densely populated Bel-Air neighborhood. As of November we have hired a real estate agent to locate properties and a lawyer to make sure that properties are properly titled and can be sold. We are investigating several opportunities.
Our New School Building: Our plan for a new building envisions 20 classrooms, administrative space, a multipurpose room to be used as a cafeteria, a performance space and a community meeting space, a computer lab that after hours can serve as an Internet café and a medical clinic. We are working with Architects for Humanity to design a school that can function independently of city provided services, which are not available in Bel-Air. So our new school will feature solar power and a biofuel generator, a water catchment and filtration system and composting toilets. We also plan a garden on the premises, which will provide vegetables for the children’s lunch and a small poultry enclosure to provide eggs. These can simultaneously function as science teaching sites and provide jobs for a few Edeyo parents. Our school will cost about $1,000 per child for a total of about $300,000.
Our School Curriculum: Edeyo aims to provide a first-rate, adequately resourced education to approximately 300 students. At the heart of our mission is the need to educate a new generation of Haitians who are proficient in multiple languages including English; flexible and creative critical thinkers and problem solvers; internationally aware, while proud of their own heritage; adept in technology; successful in the intellectual and interpersonal skills necessary for future success; and committed to the continued regeneration of their community. Second, and more immediately, our students will also need to be equipped to pass the Haitian national exam (given after eight years of schooling).
Our Teachers: We currently employ 9 dedicated and hardworking Haitian teachers and 3 teacher aides. When we move into our new building, we plan to add partner teachers, ideally Haitian-Americans with U.S. training, so that we can transition to a U.S. type methodology and lower our student-to-teacher ratio.
Please help us realize our vision by clicking on the donation page.