Ayiti Community Circles
Education & Micro-loans
PWP aspires to develop a culturally accessible, culturally relevant educational initiative in Northern Haiti. Education is a basic right for every human being. The purpose of this creative venture is to meet a wide variety of needs evident in the lives of the disadvantaged segment of Haitian society who have reached adulthood with no formal education. The program is designed to focus on the people and not on buildings in an informal, non-threatening setting nurturing respect, equality and self-worth. Individual training modules offering - 1. Literacy, 2. Child rights & parenting, 3. Sustainable agriculture, water & environmental protection, and 4. Reproductive health, including family planning and AIDS prevention will provide the body of the curriculum. A micro-loan program, complete with business classes and trained advisers, will be offered in a timely fashion to graduates from the second year of the literacy course. The intention is to present (a) literacy as the foundation to build on, (b) the blend of additional training mentioned above in numbers 2 - 4 to enrich the participant’s knowledge base pertaining to everyday issues and, (c) continue with the micro-loan grants providing the opportunity for their newly acquired skills to bring about sustainable life changes.
The expectation is for personal, social and economic transformation to result from the cumulative effect this holistic approach to adult education will foster.
Statement of Need
The provision of quality education is the first step to any kind of personal, social and/or economic transformation for any disenfranchised people group. Young adults make up the largest percentage of Haitian population. Results from unparalleled poverty have left the vast majority of Haitian adults illiterate, mired in self-loathing, mistrust and stagnation. An illiterate person will not, and cannot, initiate changes in their lives that will stop the perpetual wheel of inequality from rolling along century after century. Education is the key that will unlock their freedom to choose viable routes to better their lifestyle and become productive contributors to their families and communities.
Description of Project
To provide ten or more education centres in various locations throughout the North of Haiti called “Ayiti Community Circles.” To have these centres staffed with Haitian women trained in the “Reflection Circle and Open Space” teaching method. This methodology can be incorporated with any class curriculum. It is used to enhance democratic dialogue, use of problem solving techniques, creative expression and self-confidence while at the same time learning the subject matter specific to the class. It is intended to develop independent thinkers and respectful listeners. These skills develop leadership qualities that are easily transferred to issues that arise in daily life outside of the classroom. All subjects, including the micro-loan business classes, will operate with this unique teaching method. The entire curriculum will be purchased from Beyond Borders, a leader in Haiti in the areas of human development and leadership capacity building, utilizing the Reflection Circle and Open Space techniques.
Students will be expected to graduate from the literacy program in advance of taking the other classes offered and/or applying to become a client of the micro-loan initiative. This is to assure that each individual will have every advantage in understanding and sharing with other students on an equal basis. All subjects will be taught by fully trained Haitian ladies in Krèyole, the first language spoken by all Haitians. All teachers will be expected to demonstrate enthusiasm and compassion for their students passionately promoting the community enrichment these educational circles will provide. This passion will be cultivated with their initial training sessions, follow up refresher courses and regular staff meetings. A natural support system is expected to develop organically as the staff meet to share the ideas, experiences, challenges and victories happening in their classes. A strong family-like connection among the teaching staff should transfer instinctively to their students generating the understanding that being connected in a supportive fashion with each other will make a stronger family unit and eventually filter out to the community level.
Classes are to be housed in donated spaces in various locations when possible, making them accessible for people to walk to class and not be prohibited from attending if transportation cost was necessary. There will be no charge for a participant to attend classes in the continued effort to make these education modules attainable for all. The exception to this rule would be the micro-loan portion which will include a small interest rate on top of the actual loan the client must re-pay. Funds will be raised by PWP to provide training, salaries and expenses for the staff. Students will be encouraged to find ways to show their appreciation to their teacher and the person or organization providing the classroom space as they are able.
PWP envisions the establishment of the overall program to take place in two phases as funds become available, and will develop one area at a given time. Phase One is already functioning at a high level. This phase provided essential training for the administrative and teaching staff. The second step in Phase One was to determine need and find housing to begin teaching a two-year literacy program in the Cap-Haitien area of Northern Haiti. Concurrently with this development phase for our staff, PWP has been raising the necessary funds to meet the monthly staff payroll and many other administrative expenses. To date PWP has opened 11 literacy centers which have been functioning with great success for a number of years. These initial centres, housing the literacy classes, are now positioned to be developed further to incorporate the rest of the educational modules and become the full vision of “Ayiti Community Circles.”
The first steps of Phase Two are to (a) include provision for the necessary training for the teaching staff to expand and incorporate the additional classes outlined in the opening of this article, (b) The purchase of appropriate curriculum and classroom materials and, (c) the securing of locations and raising of funds to meet all the financial obligations required to implement Phase Two. These steps must be acquiesced prior to the initiation of the classes.
Specialty training of advisors for the micro-loan program and purchasing of curriculum and class materials for business training for clients could take place concurrently with steps 1 & 2 of Phase Two as funding dictates. This is possible as the micro-loan initiative will be staffed by a separate group of individuals trained to solely monitor and promote this program. As well as having expertly trained advisors, there is a need to have a specific amount of funding in place to accommodate the initial clients participating in the first year pilot project of the micro-loan initiative. Once the first year of operation is complete, a time of reflection and careful assessment would take place before the project continued. The staff would be expected to provide counsel and input to develop the program in ways that would enhance the business ventures of existing clients while assessing what steps could be taken to expand the program in the second year. This practice of operation and evaluation would take place regularly.
Proposed Measurable Outcomes
As part of the literacy program already operating with PWP support, a calendar of stringent examinations has already been established for these students. A participant would be required to pass these examinations and receive their graduation certificate prior to enrolling in the Phase Two classes and/or applying for the micro-loan program.
This form of examination would be adopted for all levels of training in the Phase Two classes. The level of emotional and physical health of family members of participants in the parenting and health/nutrition classes would also be determined through respectful, non-invasive communication and a follow up assessment plan that is part of the initial training provided for the staff. Reports of how this training is affecting the communities where they are established are to be provided confidentially to the Beyond Borders organization to aid in further development of their training programs and/or curriculum.
The success of businesses initiated via micro-loans, repayment percentage and skill levels in the business classes would be monitored and measured by the specially trained staff. Participants may be required to answer surveys or other polling techniques devised by the micro-loan staff to determine how to better develop this initiative. These methods can also be employed to determine how a micro-loan has changed the economic situation for the client and/or how this has in turn been a positive change within their community.
