Ecole de lEspoir students

POHLAD REPORT
January 2014 May 2015

Submitted by:
J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO)
Starry Sprenkle, Director of Programs, starry.sprenkle@jphro.org.
17, Rue la Tortue, Delmas 48, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

HAITI OFFICE: 17 Rue Latortue, Delmas 48, Port-au-Prince, Haiti | +1 509 2227 6676 | Accountability Hotline: +1 509 4423 3005
U.S. OFFICE: 6464 Sunset Blvd. Suite 1170, Los Angeles, California 90028 | +1 323 934 4400 | info@jphro.org
Our mission is to save lives and build sustainable programs with the Haitian people quickly and effectively.
Notre Mission est de sauver des vies et btir des programmes durables avec le peuple Hatien rapidement et efficacement
Misyon nou se sove lavi e bati pwogram dirab pou pep Ayisyen plop plop e lan bon ti mamit
J/P Haitian Relief Organization is a charitable 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization. Contributions made to J/P Haitian Relief Organization are tax deductible in the US.

INTRODUCTION
J/P HRO is extremely grateful to the POHLAD foundation for its generous donation of
$500,000. The first tranche of this funding has allowed J/P HRO to make considerable advances
in education in the area of Delmas 32, particularly through the design and recently launched
construction of the new Ecole de lEspoir, a school that will be specifically adapted to the needs
of a very vulnerable group children with disabilities.
This school will make a tremendous difference in the lives of these children and POHLADs
participation in this initiative is greatly appreciated. Meanwhile, J/P HROs work with 25 schools
throughout Delmas 32 continues to improve the educational environment for over 4,000 children.
Brief Overview of J/P HROs Education Program:
A quality education is every childs right and the cornerstone of a promising future for Haiti. J/P
HRO has contributed to strengthening the Haitian education system since its launch in January,
2010. The organizations early educational interventions were marked by the foundation of a
primary school called Ecole de lEspoir to facilitate the return to school for 300 children living
in the Petionville Club camp.
In accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this initiative aimed to ensure all
children were protected and their right to education, health and learning opportunities was
respected. With the support of highly motivated and qualified staff, and appropriate socioeducational mechanisms (learning materials, psychosocial support, health and good educational
practices and canteen...), lEcole de lEspoir has enjoyed exceptional success. Over the past four
years, 100% of students have passed their sixth grade exams with a very high score.
J/P HRO has also extended its education project in Delmas 32 to improve access to basic and
quality education for 4,000 students in 30 schools while creating a model micro school district.
This project, known as the Delmas 32 Education Revitalization Initiative, aims to encourage
innovation in the classroom and improve academic outcomes. This initiative is focused on
achieving higher quality education by improving the learning environment, teaching and learning
techniques, meeting sanitary and hygienic needs, reinforcing the principals and teachers
capacities and strengthening school administrative management The support provided to schools
in Delmas 32 in 2013-2014 contributed to a success rate of 83% for the 6 th grade official
examinations.

Ecole de lEspoir/Architectural Design:

The Ecole de lEspoir is now in its fifth year, has 162 students, has relocated from its initial
location in the PVC camp, and boasts twelve teachers, a librarian, a nurse, one principal and one
assistant principal. There are seven classes, including one with 15 students with disabilities that
started this year. In the coming year, J/P HRO will relocate lEcole de lEspoir to the community

of Delmas 32. J/P HROs new objective for this school is to

extend its educational services to the more vulnerable out-ofschool children of Delmas 32, including, amongst them,
children with physical and cognitive disabilities.
Class for students with special
needs

The Education team have established a very good

relationship with different institutions working in the handicap domain, Ministere de lEducation
Nationale et de la formation Professionnelle (MENFP), Secretairie dEtat pour lIntegration des
personnes Handicapes (SEIPH), Centre dEducation Special (CES), Saint Vincent, Foyer
dAmour, which allowed us to create partnership and obtain several observation training sessions
for Ecole de lEspoir staff and psychologist. Those observations and the training sessions have
been for our teachers, the opportunity to become acquainted with various types of disabilities.
The Special Education Center (CES) is a school that cares of children with mental disabilities. It
also offers special training and develop appropriate tools to work with these children, a
partnership is created between us for teachers training session, Children disabilities evaluation
and sharing tools.

New School Design: The new school will share the same site as the existing Community
Development Campus (CDC). The architectural design for the construction is proceeding on
target. The plan submitted by the first architectural firm, Nathalie Bretous, was not approved
because it did not meet J/P HROs technical standards, and J/P HRO hired a new firm, Emergent
Vernacular Architecture (EVA) to review and finalize the design.
The school design proposal takes into account two key aspects of the project: 1) the principal site
constraint in the form of a very steep site; and 2) requirement
for a fully accessible school in terms of ramps with the gentlest
slopes possible. The difficulty in accommodating what appears
to be two opposing requirements has given rise to a dynamic
design concept for the school.
To achieve those requirements, four pavilions are organized
around a common flat/level landscaped courtyard, allowing
ease of communication between the classrooms, directors
office and infirmary.

Ecole de lEspoir concept design

This design is more suitable than a series of long corridors with

classrooms leading off them. The common courtyard creates a sense of community and better
visibility of users. There is one large common courtyard, also on flat/level surface, for larger
assemblies and gatherings.

School Site Preparation: The ground breaking for the

school site took place on May 5 th. The site preparation will
take approximately four weeks to complete, based on a
rotation system, with each rotation lasting ten days. The
rotation system is designed to maximize employment, and
workers from the local community have been selected by J/P
HROs community and engineering teams. The workers
receive instructions and regular supervision from J/P HRO,
along with supplies needed to do the work.

School site ground demolition

Delmas 32 / Education project

In partnership with AMURT (Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team) /
LOCAL-Haiti (Local Capacity Alliance) and Kaizen Company, J/P
HRO has launched an intensive, innovative, multi-year teacher training
program and professional community for school administrators and
principals. This initiative provides curriculum development support to
125 teachers from 25 schools, enabling them to adopt forward-thinking
practices designed to encourage critical thinking amongst their students.
This project is positively impacting 4,000 students.

Professional community of Delmas 32

school administrators

Teacher training, Delmas 32

The Kaizen Company, in partnership with

J/P HRO, launched the Professional
Community for School Administrators in
Delmas 32, an initiative designed to support
principals and school administrators in
improving the quality of education and
academic outcomes, starting in 2014.The
platform has brought together school
principals and administrators facing similar
workplace challenges, supporting them to
learn from each other, identifying and
addressing shared priorities and providing
access to knowledge and expertise.

During the first year of the initiative, 58 school administrators and principals from schools in
Delmas 32 and the surrounding areas were active members, 25 schools were represented in the
membership, three distinct roundtables were created that met ten times each, and 50 management
reforms were carried out successfully.

In order to promote a good sanitary environment, 30 hand washing stations were also installed at
30 local schools, providing a place for students to practice good hygiene, and the schools are
currently receiving hygiene promotion sessions. J/P HRO has also provided school materials to
32 schools in Delmas 32, and 16 schools have been participating in a competition to promote
academic excellence.
Plans for the Upcoming Months: Over the coming months, J/P HROs education team will:
-

Continue with all the education activities in Delmas 32, including the second year of
the Professional Community for the school Administrators and Principal, Teacher
training, Trivia contest and Hygiene Promotion sensitization.
Continue with the ground breaking for the school site
Reception of the final concept design for the Ecole de lEspoir from EVA
Launch the tender for the construction of the school and start the construction in July