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Education

Empowering the Community Through Education


At the Haiti Health Initiative (HHI), we firmly believe that education is a key catalyst for driving sustainable change and improving the overall health and quality of life for the people of Timo and the surrounding areas. Our expansive educational goals aim to transform the community through various initiatives.


Raising Literacy Rates


One of our primary objectives is to raise the literacy rate in the region. We are committed to ensuring that each person attains at least a primary education level, laying a strong foundation for continued learning and growth.


Teaching Healthcare and Life Skills


Beyond traditional academic subjects, we also place a strong emphasis on teaching basic healthcare practices, with a focus on preventative maintenance and proper nutrition. Additionally, we provide training opportunities in technical health skills, such as midwifery, to empower members of the community.


Sustainable Knowledge Transfer


A crucial aspect of our education projects is ensuring the long-term sustainability of the systems and knowledge we impart. We work diligently to leave behind knowledgeable individuals who can maintain and elaborate on the initiatives we have instituted, such as community gardens and water infrastructure.


Continued Service Provision


Our overarching goal is to enable the people of Timo and the surrounding areas to continue providing essential services and support to their community even after HHI volunteers have departed. By equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills, we aim to foster self-reliance and empower the local population to drive their own development.


Donate to Our Education Projects


You can make a significant impact on the lives of the people in Timo by contributing to our education projects. Your donation will help us expand our literacy programs, provide essential healthcare and life-skills training, and ensure the sustainable transfer of knowledge within the community.

Challenges to Education in Timo

On October 10th, 2010, the first educational school, Institution Mixte de la Perfection de Viciere, was established in Timo, Fond d’Oies, to meet local educational needs. It was founded by a local teacher at the request of community leaders to meet the educational needs of local children. This community school currently includes 227 attending students and 12 teachers. The school is primarily housed in a 20x20 ft. Cana Vicière Baptist church facility . The structure is made of corrugated metal with no windows, poor ventilation, and a dirt floor. Tarps are used to separate classroom areas for various age groups. About 100 students attend school in the church, while the rest are spread across two shacks.  With no electricity or air conditioning, the facilities become unbearable in hot weather, forcing early dismissals. The only “restroom” is an outdoor open-pit latrine.

Original Community School

Original Community School

                     

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A group of children in a classroom

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The interior of the current community school can be divided by tarps to form 6 classrooms. The first two rows of benches have planks to provide desktops. The seating behind those rows does not have that feature, so students use their laps for books and schoolwork.

Recognizing challenges like a cramped metal structure without proper ventilation or lighting, the community sought a permanent solution. In 2014, community leaders and school administrators expressed a strong desire to have a permanent school building from which to better serve the children of Timo and asked Haiti Health Initiative (HHI) to facilitate the construction of permanent and adequate structures essential for learning. In collaboration with Haiti Health Initiative and Arup, an international design firm plans were made for a modern, hurricane-resistant school building. 

Beginnings of the new school

In 2016, a small team from Arup traveled to Haiti to meet community leaders, gather local input, and assess the construction site. Using Arup plans as a guide, Haitian engineers, and contractors, mostly from local communities and Léogâne, constructed retaining and perimeter walls as well as fences in the summer of 2018. 


Arup designed a block of dry latrines that can be used for the school. Dry latrines work with the same process as “composting toilets” used for campers and emergency planning in the US. They separate liquid from solid waste and the solids, over time, turn into compost. 

 

Due to the pandemic and political unrest in Haiti, the construction of the school was delayed. In 2023 the Haitian engineering firm GH Concepts designed a school that is earthquake resistant and large enough to accommodate the approximately 250 children in the valley that are ages 3-16. This new school will be The Georgette Beauvais Community School de Bas Coq Chante/The Georgette Beauvais of the Lower Singing Rooster Area. The school's mission is to enhance education and nutrition for all children in Timo and surrounding areas, encompassing academic, social, civic, health, religious, and cultural development. It is accredited by the Haitian Ministry of National Education and Professional Training, and the school will serve the Timo community as well as the communities of Platon, Corail, K-matin, and La Libète.

What will the new school look like?

At this writing, HHI plans to open the new Timo school the first week in January, 2025. To keep up with this and other news, follow our Haiti Health Initiative Facebook page. 


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Front rendering of new school.

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Hallway rendering:

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Cross section of school:


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Upon completion, scheduled for early January 2025 the school will feature:

  • 6 classrooms
  • 1 administration office
  • 1 library
  • Dry latrines with separate bathrooms for girls, boys and employees
  • A cafeteria/dining room and kitchen
  • Outdoor play areas with culturally appropriate equipment
  • Facilities for physical education, agricultural education, and community activities
  • Additional spaces for storage and extracurricular activities


The project aims to address critical educational and health needs, offering scholarships, school meals, and essential facilities to support teaching and learning in Timo and neighboring communities.

What is the School Mission?

The school mission is to assist all children in the community to improve their educational and nutritional status. The school seeks to accomplish this mission through grade school education. The school guiding principle is a comprehensive education to the children of Timo and surrounding areas in academic, social, civic, health, religious, and cultural contexts. The Haitian Ministry of National Education and Professional Training has recognized and accredited the school. Since its genesis, the school has served children from the mountainous community of Timo and neighboring remote communities of Platon, Corail, K-matin and La Libète.

The proposed project is designed to provide a long-term solution to major education and health problems in Timo. The four components to this project are

  1. Construction of a grade school
  2. Scholarship program
  3. School meal program
  4. Financial support


Who are the Direct Beneficiaries?

Following the completion of the school buildings, children living in the above mentioned communities will be able receive (1) an adequate education in various areas, (2) scholarships to attend school, and (3) a balanced meal every school day. Teachers and staff will have the essential facilities, equipment and supplies for teaching, facilitating learning, promoting health and managing the school. 

Four age groups of children and their families will benefit from the construction project: 

  1. Preschool/kindergarten (K1, K2, K3): Ages 2 to 5 ½ years
  2. Elementary (1st Cycle: Grades 1-3):  Ages 5 to 9 years
  3. Elementary (2nd Cycle: Grades 4-6): Ages 10 to 13 years
  4. Junior High (*3rd Cycle: Grades 7-9): Ages 13 to 16 years


Supporting education in Timo enhances public health and well-being

HHI aligns with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals aiming to impact education, economic growth, infrastructure, gender equality and poverty reduction. The new school project will make education accessible to an entire community, driving progress on these fronts. 


Education is a key catalyst for change. Through education, we hope to improve local residents’ overall health and quality of life. Our educational goals are expansive and include the following:

  1. Raising the literacy rate 
  2. Ensuring each person attains at least a primary education level
  3. Teaching basic healthcare, especially preventative maintenance and nutrition
  4. Training interested parties in technical health skills such as midwifery
  5. Leaving knowledgeable individuals to maintain and elaborate on instituted systems such as gardens and water piping
  6. Generally helping the people of Timo and the surrounding areas to continue to provide services after HHI volunteers leave


How is the new school construction going?

The US and Haitian leadership construction teams have been having weekly meetings via Zoom and Whatsapp for the past two years. The latrine block construction was completed in May of 2023. Construction of the new school was promptly commenced in June of 2023 by a local engineering company called GH Conceptions. Through many obstacles and hurdles, such as inflation in Haiti, gang violence, upheaval of the Haitian government and violence and dangerous conditions, the Haitian construction and engineering team pushed forward and managed these challenges with ingenious problem solving. Many of the project’s skilled workers moved from their homes in Port au Prince to the Timo community during construction so they would not have to travel the dangerous roads. The construction site employed many workers from the community for unskilled jobs, which has helped bring needed work and wages to local families. 

How did all the construction supplies get to the school construction site when there are no roads into the valley?

Due to the remote location of the school site and no roads into the valley, all of the tools and construction materials had to be carried by hand, mule or a pulley system. This is an hour and a half hike from the dropoff point down into the valley and then up to the school construction site.


These material included: 

6,300 –  30 cm (80 lbs each) concrete foundation blocks

11,700 – 15 cm. (40 lbs each) concrete blocks for the walls

3,200 - (90lbs.) bags of cement

315 - 2x4 steel framing bars

320 - Aluzinc metal sheets for the roof

Rebar

Construction equipment including a cement mixer, arc welder and soil compactor. 

Can you imagine carrying all of that with only human labor or mule transport? We `are constantly amazed by their ingenuity, persistence and dedication to this project. An example of problem solving was the construction of a pulley system from a high point to the valley floor. This pulley system was able to bring cement blocks and rebar down the mountain to a drop off point and then the items were hand carried to the construction site. 

The gravel used for the construction project has been hand crushed from local river rock.

The skilled workers are not native to Timo but have been provided with temporary accommodation in the Timo community during the construction project this past year. The skilled workers include carpenters who build formwork; ironworkers who install steel reinforcement; and masons who pour concrete. The day laborers, natives of Timo, assist the skilled workers in various ways, including transporting materials and mixing concrete.

Sixteen to twenty day laborers have been employed from the local community during the construction project.

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All the trenches for the foundation were dug by hand.

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Preparing rebar and forms for footings and foundations in hand-dug trenches.

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Timo women and a donkey hauling cement blocks.

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A heavy load carried down the rocky trail.

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Because of regional termite infestation, the new school is built with 2”x4” steel rafters. These were arc cut and welded on-site after the steel beams were carried to their new building.

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Steel rebar strengthens the building throughout the foundations, columns and blocks to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. 


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Later in the project, our engineer devised a pully system that significantly reduced the manual haul time and distance for cement blocks.

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In the 2010 earthquake disaster, many concrete buildings collapsed, partly because of the lack of reinforcement bars (rebar) and the quality of cement used to build them. That quality was degraded by weak, porous gravel. The gravel for this school project is hand crushed from river rock. This worker is using a claw hammer to crush gravel from larger stones.

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Donkeys and mules also carried blocks and cement for the project.

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This areal view shows the completed dry latrine behind the school.

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Fill soil is compacted using a gas-powered compactor prior to pouring concrete floors.

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Corrugated metal roofing is installed above steel rafters after installation of the upper reinforced concrete beam. 

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Concrete floors are hand mixed, poured and finished throughout the school.

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A view from the perimeter after the walls were finished with smooth concrete and the roof had been installed.


Extracurricular learning and activity at the Multi-Purpose Community Center


At the foundation of Haiti Health Initiative (HHI), medical and dental clinicians began week-long missions to Timo. Meeting patients in clinics defined by tarps was common, as dozens of patients waited in line, beginning at the break of day, to seek healthcare. Though work was steady through good weather, it was quickly apparent the events needed a better facility. 


That’s when work began on the Community Center began and could provide multiple rooms and corners out of the weather to meet and treat patients. Soon the number of rotating tours increased, as did the patients. Clinicians could perform tests from blood chemistry to vision and beyond. During that phase, Timo residents were also leaning healthcare skills, and visiting clinicians from nearby towns also joined in.


When the Haitian government fell into disarray, HHI found it was no longer safe to send teams to Timo, so the emphasis shifted to community care. The hypertension program began, as described in the Medical features on this site. The Community Center soon became an important hub for a broad range of educational as well as medical services. Local clinicians meet weekly with ambulatory patients, and healthcare education helps families understand how to improve family health from prenatal care to common difficulties with aging.


Education also runs the gamut students have learned skills such as tiling, and younger groups have learned the values of active games and exercise, even holding youth dances at the center. 


The Center was recently remodeled and updated to provide better electrical power and even a portable Internet station to connect the community with the outside world. 


Learning at the Multi-Purpose Community Center was exciting for this visitor to a medical team visit.

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Programs teaching health and fitness happen for all ages at the Center. Here, younger community members dance for exercise and senior citizens learn about nutrition and other health topics. This group includes patients being treated for and taught about controlling hypertension.


The Multi-Purpose Community Center was refurbished in 2023.

These students graduated from a tiling class at the Multi-Purpose Community Center as part of the wide-ranging education programs the community has been providing. 


2024 Highlights

NEW Tiling Class

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Haiti Health Initiative Projects

Making a difference, one project at a time

Revitalizing Haitian farmland to nourish communities, combat food insecurity

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Expanding access to essential healthcare services for underserved Haitians

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Empowering Haitian youth through innovative learning programs and resources.

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Combating malnutrition and promoting healthy diets in Haitian communities.

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Increasing access to clean, sustainable water sources for Haitian families.

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+1 (801) 830-3043

mail@haitihealthinitiative.org

Haiti Health Initiative aims to improve the overall health and well being of rural Haitians, one community at a time. We seek to accomplish this through providing education and services in primary health care, dental care, public health, and nutrition within each community at risk.

If you have questions about Haiti Health Initiative, contact

Marc-Aurel Martial at 

mmartial@haitihealthinitiative.org 

or at 801-830-3043.

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