SOPUDEP School
Located in Petion-ville, Haiti, SOPUDEP School is a comprehensive school serving the poorest residents of the city. Founded in 2002, the school has grown to over 554 students, many of whom receive their only regular meal through the school's hot lunch program.
SOPUDEP Updates
Update, February 23, 2010- Temporary School
It's just a month and a half after the earthquake and we are starting to hear about a new cause for a devastated Haiti. Development! Tourism, agriculture, "industrial parks", strengthening Haiti's government or removing it and installing a new one. This has been touted the magic "new beginning" to a country that has been under foreign control since Christopher Columbus sanctioned it fit for European agriculture production way back when. Some ideas are valid and responsible, but many are opportunistic and will move a much needed income for Haiti out of the country or into the pockets of Haiti's elite. It is a very important topic of conversation and we certainly should pay attention to what's in the works for Haiti's future, but the type of rebuilding forefront in our mind should still be about providing the basics of everyday life for these affected Haitians.
Here is some info I received from Scott Weinstein, a nurse from the DC area who has been working with SOPUDEP and other groups on the ground for three weeks now. "A few weeks after the earthquake, Réa is desperately trying to get food for her community of children and their families from the school she ran before the earthquake. It now is a community center and clinic. Baz, an American medic, has told her that there might be food from the UN. But it is very confusing. The Italian Navy is also promising food in a few days. The prospect of being able to participate in that food distribution system seems daunting for Rea, whose English is not very good and whose Italian is nil."
Earthquake Update, February 14, 2010
In memory of:
Nadia Raymond taught the morning kindergarten class and the afternoon class with the street kids. She is seen here as Santa Claus.
Shella Louis taught the kindergarten class in the morning and first grade in the afternoon.
These were dedicated teachers who strived to educate and empower their communities youth despite sometimes having to forgo what little pay they did receive. All of SOPUDEP's staff deserve our utmost respect and support!
We are deeply sorry for all the loss Haiti has endured!
Update January 30, 2010
SOPUDEP did have to abandon their school building about four days ago. It was being used as a shelter, but the stench of dead bodies was getting to strong. School director Réa Dol doesn't think it will ever work again as a school anyways because there was structural damage and all but three homes were destroyed in the neighborhood. It is time now for the school to relocate!
Now that being said, SOPUDEP did start payments on a piece of land last year in anticipation of building a new school for 2012 (when their lease would run up on their current building). Thanks to a generous donor from San Francisco, all but $20,000 of the original $60,000 is owing on the land. Seth Donnelly from the Bay area will most likely head up this fundraising project to pay off the land that will secure the schools future.
The Préval government has ordered schools to resume sometime in February. So, temporary classrooms are going to be put together for SOPUDEP's new property. An architectural group from Ryerson University in Toronto is working on a sturdy temporary classroom design using readily available local materials.
We have also set to work on the plans for a shipping container school concept that we came up with last year (concept pics seen here). Professionals and organizations are joining up for this project and an engineer and architect well versed in container architecture are on board. It could include a solar roof that could potentially provide electricity to surrounding homes. The nice thing here is that these kind of structures are hurricane and earthquake resistant. It could very well be a pilot project for other kinds of buildings like residential units.
Urgent Appeal For The People Of Haiti (Updated January 22, 2010)
Haiti is ten days in to this mess and very little has improved. Many people are on the ground trying their best to ease these peoples suffering, but the policy makers are largely stifling the efforts. We can only hope that their eyes are opened to the fact that human life is infinitely more important than an arbitrary bottom line. That's all I'll say about that right now!
There are many people taking action in the aid efforts and are doing what they can right now with whatever they have at their disposal. SOPUDEP School Director Réa Dol is taking action to help her community with little to no international aid.
Just two days ago, at day eight, starvation in SOPUDEP's area (as I'm sure is the same in the rest of the city) started to take a real tole. The generosity of a local grocer is now ensuring at least some are staving off hunger. Réa, because she has bought from him for the duration of the school's food program has developed a good working relationship with this vendor and he has given food to Réa on credit. 150 to 250 are being fed right now, but countless others could be included with some cash.
We are working on paying down that credit so she can continue to expand her food program. Right now we can only send down $500 a day through Western Union, but once the limit is lifted and the banks are open we hope that with your support we can expand the food program. This is just the beginning of this crisis!!!
Réa is also appealing to raise money to send families to the countryside to stay with their families where they can have better support. Medication and outdoor survival supplies are on the short list of things to get in the coming weeks.
