Ecole Communautaire FATEM de Nicolas

FATEM is fulfilling its promise to Nicolas community residents to help them build an elementary institution. This community has no school accessible within a five-mile radius, and children had to walk about an hour each way to attend the nearest school. Construction is about 90% complete, and the new six-classroom, preschool through 4th-grade, institution is expected to open its doors officially in September 2012, although classes have been held for more than 80 students since September 2011 in most of the rooms. A daily meal is served as well through the Bureau de Nutrition et Développement, with assistance from the World Food Program.

The school was selected as one of the social business pilot projects which YY Haiti and You (the Haiti branch of the Grameen Creative Lab) is implementing in the country. Through this new initiative, FATEM is helping the Nicolas community secure a loan to establish a poultry farm, the revenues of which will be used to support the operations of the school and create jobs as the same time. The school belongs to the entire community and is managed by an oversight committee, to whom the general manager for the poultry farm operations will report as well. We hope this will be a model of a sustainable school that can be replicated in other parts of Haiti.

The first phase of construction was financed through the generous assistance of Zynga.org. Architect Herve Sabin (Studio Drum Collaborative) designed the building, and Engineer Yves C. Francois of YCF Group S.A. executed the design. Supervision of the project was ensured by Malcolm Morris of MDM Development Corporation (Chicago).

We are actively seeking funding to finish the job and make it possible for hundreds of children from this remote area of Mirebalais to have access to quality education. Please be part of a bright future for these children by visiting our secure donation page and making a contribution using your debit or credit card; please write "Ecole de Nicolas" in the comments box. Checks and money orders can be made payable to FATEM, Inc. and mailed to the following address:

FATEM, Inc.
1 Centre Street, 3rd Floor
Brockton, MA 02301

Please remember to write "Ecole de Nicolas" on the memo line. We thank you in advance on behalf of the entire Nicolas community!