SHORT TERM PROJECTS
NEW COMMUNITY LIBRARY AND COMPUTER LAB PROJECT
PROJECT ABSTRACT
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| Old Library Building |
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Although public education is free in Haiti, the cost is still quite high for Haitian families who must pay for uniforms, textbooks, supplies, and other inputs. Due to weak state provision of education services, private and parochial schools account for about 90% of primary schools, and only 65% of primary school-aged children are actually enrolled. At the secondary level, the figure drops to around 20%. Less than 35% of those who enter will complete primary school. Although Haitians place a high value on education, few can afford to send their children to secondary school. Today, primary school enrollment is also dropping due to economic factors. Sixty percent (60%) of rural households suffer from chronic food insecurity, and food must come before education. With an adult illiteracy rate of 52% (48% of males are illiterate and 52.2% of females are illiterate), education remains a key obstacle to economic and social advancement in Haiti.
Mirebalais is the second largest city in Haiti’s central plateau with a growing strategic importance. The nearest public library is three hours away in the Capital City of Port-au-Prince. The project recognizes several significant factors in the development of children and a community at large:
- The importance of community involvement in students learning,
- The importance of providing meaningful learning opportunities to children at a young age; and
- The importance of technology in today’s world.
Recognizing that children literacy is intrinsically tied to community literacy, FATEM and the Mirebalais Chapter of the Rotary Club International seek to establish an enhanced Municipal Library and Technology Center. Key features of such a center would include extended library hours to service the needs of students, parents, professionals and others in the community; an extensive library collection featuring print and non-print materials to support school curricula; library connectivity to worldwide references, story hours, technology classes, and instructional and training opportunities for students, professionals, teachers, and others designed to help them take full advantage of the resources the Municipal Library and Technology Center has to offer; and other tools needed to establish the Library as a center of learning for the community. This Center would result from collaboration not just between the two leading organizations but also between the teachers, numerous community organizations and the community it would serve. In subsequent years, more and varied partners will be sought to leverage the grant funds, sustain activities and meet ever-changing needs as they arise and to expand to branches in the rural sections. The result? A dynamic, information-rich environment where learning and literacy are modeled every day, impacting the digital divide.
THE NEED FOR LIBRARY AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES
Mirebalais is strategically located in the lower Central Plateau, a burgeoning agricultural region. Mirebalais has a population of 79,000 inhabitants. The city measures 331 km2 with an estimated population density of 239 inhabitants per km2. This residential /commercial area, can be characterized as urban by virtue of population density, structural complexity, cultural and economic potential. An estimated 38.7% of the population is under the age of 15 years old, 56.5% are between 15-64, and 4.8% 65 and above. The education system in Mirebalais is supported by seventy-four (74) facilities, categorized as follows: four (4) pre-schools, fifty-six (56) primary schools, fourteen (14) secondary schools. There are also about six technical and trade institutions. None of these establishments is supported by computer lab or a library. The original public library in Mirebalais was built in 1926 by the Department of Public Works. Its dire remnants currently stand and consist of approximately 3,000 square feet with no electricity, running water, toilet, telephone service, or adequate roof. The building is essentially a hazard and may fall apart any given day. The library is open from Monday to Saturday and from 8 AM to 4PM. The collection is estimated at two thousand (2,000) books and sees an estimated one hundred and fifty (150) visitors a week. There is also insufficient number of chairs and tables, and space to conduct learning sessions as the library is sparsely furnished. The few bookshelves that we have are literally falling apart.
The library collection itself consists of old editions and about fifteen percent (15%) of Haitian authors. Some books are recent donations from members of the community. Most of these books are worn and in need of repair, especially dictionaries and encyclopedias. In addition, the titles are not particularly relevant, high-interest topics for students; the encyclopedias are somewhat outdated.
The technology gap between the Mirebalaisian community and Port-au-Prince or the rest of the world for that matter is vast and growing, impeding the ability of students and professionals of that community to navigate the vast body of knowledge that can be acquired through training and access to information technology. To enable the community to thrive, or in some cases, survive in a technology-driven world, the gap must be narrowed.
In Mirebalais, there is almost a complete absence of institutions that provide the community with this type of training and access to information technology. None of the thirteen (13) secondary schools in Mirebalais offers computer training as part of their curriculum to students. There exist a few cybercafés that are designed primarily for Internet surfing, e-mail and making phone calls. However, they are not equipped adequately to address the technological needs of this fast-growing section of the population. Those who are interested in obtaining such training and access to information technology often have to travel to Port-au-Prince.
PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The project is based on the realization that literacy efforts cannot exist in a vacuum. In a country like Haiti, without the positive influence of the community, the child has few if any opportunities to view reading and learning in appositive light. He or she will consequently have little incentive to take on intellectual challenges. Perhaps most importantly, the child will not come to experience the joys that come from reading, technology and learning.
The project will have four primary objectives:
- Raising academic achievement among Mirebalais students,
- Fostering a love for reading and learning that extends beyond the school day and school walls,
- Extending literacy efforts to include professionals, and the community at large, and
- Providing technological opportunities to bridge the digital divide in Mirebalais by developing a positive, pervasive, life-long interest in using the resources provided through technology access.
FUNDRAISING STRATEGY
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| Library under construction - August 2008 |
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With the recent rapid increase in the costs of building materials in Haiti, the project initially estimated at between $60,000 and $80,000 will be costing much more. Please see recent figures from Haiti as to what is left to be done. Document 1 and Document 2.
• We are looking for 200 dedicated people (or groups/families) willing to contribute $50 each month over 10 consecutive months. From that effort, we will raise our target of $100,000 to complete the building, which will house the Library and the Computer Lab, plus funds left to be used during the first 2 to 3 years of operations.
• We will name the computer lab after the individual, or the family (or group of persons) who will have contributed $15,000 or more to this project.
• We encourage you to set bill pay (or automatic payment) at your bank for this purpose. Please let us know if you need help.
• Different levels of donation will be established, and all contributors will be recognized by names on a plaque to be engraved inside the building when completed.
• If interested please write to us at info@fatem.org or call us at our toll free number (866) 983-2836, so we may give you more detailed information.
UPDATE
As of October 13, 2008, we have collected $1,080, and hundreds of books from our dear friends and supporters in Canada (Tara Ramsey DeLand of the Mirebalais Education Project Society and Isabelle Piche) and in Florida (Carol Crilley, Principal, Hammock Pointe Elementary).
The Mirebalais Education Project Society in Calgary wants to raise awareness and resources for this worthy cause. Its goal is to send a 20-foot freight container filled with French books, learning materials, computers and medical supplies to Mirebalais in early November. More information is available at http://sites.google.com/site/mirebalaiseducationproject/
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