I think this may be my final blurb before the Christmas holidays. This is yet another story of how SOPUDEP is vital to the community to which they serve and further proof that this is a program that deserves our attention.

For the time that I've known about the school I've known that they do other social work outside their own walls. I finnaly got the lowdown from Réa on what they actually do and who they support.

For some time now SOPUDEP has been working with two other community schools in a much poorer area of Pétion-Ville: MOJUB, or the Youth Movement United for Bobin with 150 students and the Les Petits Amis du SOPUDEP (another school set up by the SOPUDEP organization) in Boucan La Pli with 40 students.

Réa and her staff find and recommend students for these schools. These children like their own students cannot afford to go to regular public or private schools.  As well, they assist in their school formation, including school supplies and teacher training. Réa works with women’s organizations in these communities and it is through them and their activities that recommendations are made for staff employment.

When they have the funds, they also take SOPUDEP's students to prepare hot lunches and deliver them to these schools and help to cover the salaries of their teachers. These are rare occasion because they are pressed themselves, but they do what they can for them because of the extreme poverty and need in those communities. Funds for this are taken from their own staff and food budgets.

SOPUDEP is already half way through their school year and the street kids education program is working well. While they still are looking for funding to put them up in a home and food is scarce, these 31 kids are attending class everyday thanks to the interest being paid from an American teacher who happened to be teaching just up the road at another school.

Steven Kirby came to us at the start of the school year wanting to help with the street kids program. To my understanding he had just stumbled across the school while on the Internet.

Because SFF has been under some financial crunches and haven’t been able to put money towards much more than just the 47 staff we weren't able to hire the teachers that Rea needed to be able to educate these kids. Kids that regardless of age (5 to 17) are all starting from the same point in their education.

With these conditions, Steven not only started volunteering his time to teach these kids, but he has been putting part of his paycheck every month from his other teaching job to hire three other teachers from the community to help in this endeavor. He is also lending a hand to purchase sewing machines for these homeless boys and girls to give them a skill to be able to earn a living on the street. It's a good start to this important project!

I know Steven probably would rather not be put into the spotlight, but I just thought this was a pretty cool story!

Lets do more things like that for the students and staff of SOPUDEP school! I can’t stress enough how important steady and regular support is no matter what is being given.

Thank you again to everyone who has given their time, energy and money to this very progressive program!

Ryan Sawatzky

To those who believe that education is not a privilege, but rather a right for all, SOPUDEP School in Pétion-Ville Haiti needs your attention.

We are writing on behalf of the hardworking and dedicated Haitian educators of SOPUDEP School who wish to empower the most vulnerable children in their community. The children of SOPUDEP cannot afford to go to school because of Haiti's highly privatized education system. Without SOPUDEP School in their community, these children would never to learn to read or have access to a well-rounded education. Even though SOPUDEP is a registered Private School with The Ministry of Education, they turn no child away for lack of funds.

Parents of students are encouraged to pay for their childs education, it is not manditory. The money the parents do contribute goes towards bills like water, electricity, gas for the generator, uniforms, cleaning supplies, repairs and fees for special programs our teachers are required to attend by the Ministry of Education. They also must pay fees to renew the school's patent and license under the DGI and Ministry of Education each year.

The Sawatzky Family Foundation is a registered Canadian charity that was created in 2008 for the sole purpose of providing financial support and raising awareness about this wonderful local social program.

The Sawatzky Family has personally paid the teachers’ salaries ($26,000 (US) for 47 staff) and the majority of the food program that feeds over 650 students five days a week for close to two years.

We have run short on our own resources and are urgently calling for immediate support. With cuts to teacher salaries, they will be forced to find other work just to get by, thereby reducing SOPUDEP's effectiveness. Turning away students would become a very real possibility.

It’s fall again and SOPUDEP’s 2009/ 2010 school year is well under way. This year they are facing challenges new and old, but it has also brought some exciting opportunities for this school to extend their reach into the community. Through new initiatives to gain sustainable funding for their programs, future prospects of expansion, and the growing support and awareness of this awesome program, SOPUDEP’s longevity and impact in Haiti is looking bright.

Because SOPUDEP has always been an organization that serves the many needs of the community, even if it means extreme challenges like lack of funds or the actual physical threats of being shut down, they still strive to accomplish those goals of strengthening those who need it the most. The poor majority!

Some very generous donations came at the end of the 2008/2009 school year. This past summer School Director Réa Dol set about a small school expansion to squeeze in just a few more deserving kids. A three-classroom addition that will hold 60 or more students and a required retaining wall around the property was built under tight financial constraints. The lack of funds for labor was met with enthusiasm from members of the community as parents of students volunteered their time and energy to help build this much needed addition.

Hot Lunch Program

Aside from education for the poorest children in the community, the Hot Lunch Program has turned into SOPUDEP Schools most important program as starvation is on the rise in Haiti. Now at a capacity of over 700 children, teachers and other members of the community including street kids and other schools, the Hot Lunch Program runs an average of five days a week to give many of these people their only meal of the day. Although the cost per student is a mere 14¢ to 25¢ they often have to greatly simplify and cut back on the program due to lack of funds and the current rise in food costs.
This food program was originally government funded within the school from 2002 to 2004 under President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, but when he was forcibly removed from power the program ceased to exist. With the help of The Sawatzky Family Foundation and SOPUDEP supporters the program was reinstated in 2008, but has again fallen on hard times. They do receive help from the National Food Program now (PNCS), but this only covers 40% of the need. With your help, this crucial program can feed many hungry children in the community of Pétion-Ville.

“It is impossible to learn when the mind is on the stomach” (Jean-Bertrand Aristide)

Je m'apelle Alexandra. J'habite avec ma maman, mon step-père et mon chat. Mon le nom de mon chat est Luna et je l'aime. Nous n'avons pas les riches re mais nous faisons très bien. Je fais l'action et danse dans mon temps passé. J'aime jouer des jeux vidéo. Je suis fou au sujet de culture Japonais.  Également j'aime apprendre d'autres pays, comme le Haïti. J'aime également la musique. J'écoute la musique toutes les fois que je peux. J'ai habité à Portland, Orégon ma vie entière mais j'aime voyager. Jusqu'ici, de tous les endroits j'ai voyagé, Haines Alaska est mon favori.

Je m'apelle Tully. J'ai 12 ans. J'habite avec ma mère et père et ma deux soeurs et trois animaux familiers. Je suis dans le septième catégorie. J'habite 5 1/2 milesmilles de mon école.

Mon nom est Oona. J'ai obtenu au MLC. J'habite avec ma mère, mon père, et ma soeur plus âgée. Je suis dans la septième catégorie et je suis douze années. J'aime écrire, créer l'art, et jouer au football . J'ai trois chats. Mes couleurs préférées sont noires, rouges, pourpres, vertes, et argent. Je veux travailler pour Mercy Core (une agence pour le développement internationale) ainsi je peux aider le personnes à travers le monde.