An education that connects so we all belong

Bayyinah Bello

Bayyinah Bello is a teacher, writer, humanitarian worker and world renowned historian with expertise in Haitian and Pan African history. She is the founder of FONDASYON FELICITEE which is based in Tabarre, Haiti for the past 21 years. It is run with the help of a very efficient corps of volunteers. 

With the permission of all those who transmitted knowledge before me. In the names of all those who were passionate about learning, experimenting and transmitting to the next generation, I greet you who read this text now.


I am from Ayiti, starting teaching before I was four, according to my grandmother. We, Ayitians, are descendants of great knowers of Afrika, who built pyramids, invented writing, mathematics; innovators who forged tools from all sorts of metals and stones, including granite! However, after being kidnapped by Euro-Christian enslavers we lost a lot of our know-how, including even, the knowledge of Self. 

Today, we must reinvent education if we are to get back to our sacred sciences. Music must return to its primary fundamental subject status. Every child must be trained to listen attentively, to make and play instruments. That will facilitate the average person’s ability to casually learn a half dozen foreign languages with ease.


Education today, must become justice imperative! 


The next generation must be taught to search and destroy injustice in language, arts, maths, geography, history, laws, and medical sciences. That is the only way that we will fabricate the types of hearts and minds that will be equipped to steadily and relentlessly work at producing a better world, hour after hour. 


While another team works minute after minute at insuring that injustice doesn’t creep in as we progress.


All students must go back to scrutinizing the sky, what they now call astronomy and have turned it into an elitist study. Long ago, we practiced reading the sky to sharpen our eyesight, to read what’s coming up on Earth; to figure out the schedules of floods, hurricanes, earthquakes..., to measure ourselves and nurture humility as we observe the vastness of our world.


Geometry, being the first form of writing, must be introduced to the very young. The practical application of geometry in our daily lives must return. The spirituality of shapes, movements and sounds must be taught to everyone. The integrality of the science of spirituality must be offered to all. The oneness of life must be returned to the People.


With such an education that would open the hearts and minds of our children, we would produce a population of true humans. We would have humane societies where the average person is keen on being just to his/her environment. We would have people who really care for all life forms. We would create a civilization where Knowledge is Queen, Justice is King, where all interactions are coloured with respect and fairness to all. 


First published in Engage 23.

BY BAYYINAH BELLO • March 30, 2022

Volunteering in Zambia - Spotlight on a Steve Sinnott Foundation Ambassador

By Helen Porter • January 30, 2026
Summer of 2025, I volunteered in Lusaka, Zambia with Mission Direct to improve educational facilities for school children and staff. These nursery school children live in very basic and small homes in the Kaunda Square Compound. They are currently being educated in overcrowded classrooms with very little space for play and movement. The new school building will allow more children to benefit from an enriching nursery education and ensure that they are ready to learn when they start their formal schooling at the age of six. It will also enable more mothers to work and contribute to their families’ income. The children were very happy to meet us and performed a wonderful song with actions to thank us. Witnessing the challenges of these families living in poverty led me to reflect on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that finding a route out of poverty (SDG1) often starts with a quality education (SDG4). Educating children to become literate, numerate and confident, responsible young people allows them to obtain secure employment with fair pay and to have the prospect of rewarding careers, leading to economic growth (SDG8). Of course education is about so much more than preparation for future employment. An educated person is better prepared to maintain the health and well-being of their family (SDG3) and ensure that nourishing food is provided everyday (SDG2). We are disappointed and saddened to learn that some of the world’s wealthiest nations are slashing their overseas development budgets. This makes the work of NGOs even more vital as they strive to reduce inequalities (SDGs 5 and 10) to ensure that all children benefit from a quality education.

Enhancing safe education; phase two of the addressing school-related Gender Based Violence (SRGBV) Programme

By Isata M Kamara • January 29, 2026
Addressing SRGBV comes through different methods. One effective approach is to provide the most at risk of becoming victims with required skills and knowledge. The essence of this approach is to keep girls safe, engaged and ensure before they return to school that they have a better understanding of SRGBV. The phenomenon of school-related gender-based violence [SRGBV] undermines the right to education for countless children, particularly girls. In the initial phase of our project, we successfully implemented SRGBV awareness and prevention programmes in 14 schools across Bombali district Northern Region. Phase one involved training school staff, engaging students, and building community awareness to create safer school environments. This phase focused on training girls to make reusable sanitary pads and other soft skills to engage them in daily activities. The project engaged over 50 students between the ages of 12-18 years in skills training to help keep them engaged in learning how to make reusable sanitary pads, bead design and cake making. The overall implementation of the project was a success as all of the girls engaged were able to learn new skills and new knowledge relating to GBV prevention. Below are some of the specific successes; Girls were trained in making reusable sanitary pads, sewing and bead design work, basic cake making skills, learning to identify violence, report it and learn how to prevent and de-escalate violent situations and how to stay positive in life through mentoring and supporting each other. This increased the knowledge of community stakeholders and parents on the impact both in and out of school. 100 participants including parents, education officials and community leaders were engaged. Despite the successes recorded, there were some challenges in the implementation. Challenges The rains were heavy and affected some classes Inflation in the market affected the proposed initial costs and the current cost of items The number of stakeholders and parents engaged were more than the proposed number leading to an increase in the food budget BY ISATA M KAMARA DIRECTOR OF GENDER EQUALITY AND DEVELOPMENT FOR SOCIAL ACTION (GEDSA)

Alfabetizasyon se chemen development - Literacy is the way to development

By Sarah Grey • January 28, 2026
Alfa Limonade, Haiti  For all our people who were deprived of childhood education, the objective of this Alfa programme is to provide the opportunity to become literate. In Haiti, especially in rural areas such as ours, literacy rates are dismal. 44% of Haitian men and 56% of Haitian women are illiterate, but these statistics are far worse in villages and the countryside. (UNESCO) Launched 23 years ago, Alfa uses an excellent participatory text book, Goute Sel, for writing, reading, and comprehension. It was developed specifically for use here in Haiti. We also use Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Ayiti, stories and questions from Haitian history, and Lekti Net Ale, reflections on connecting with the world. Through blackboard instruction and Kaye Kalkil, Alfa participants practise exercises in arithmetic. At the second level we launch group discussion through reading Edikasyon Civik. After long consideration, our team of monitors has established that Alfa must develop its own practical introduction to numeracy for adult learners. Our improved numeracy project must adjust to the situation of Alfa participants. Obviously, in their daily lives our participants constantly face numeracy problems. Having no education, they were unaware of their lack of capacity. Today, through Alfa, they are gaining in literacy, and we should also ensure that, despite their often advanced ages, they also become numerate. They must not lose this gift simply because they have been deprived of the basic human right to education. Through our new tool, Alfa’s market women and peasant farmers will grasp the basics of numeracy, so that they are not lost in the economic situations of their adult lives. They will address these problems with awareness, papers and pencils in their hands - just as others do! Chancy Jacques, Alfa Supervisor, and Antolius Pierre, Alfa monitor in Jede, are collaborating on Alfa’s own book, Kalkil San Limit, with the following objectives: To support our monitors with a good tool for introducing numeracy. To reinforce the capacity of every Alfa participant. To enable participants to reflect productively. To enable participants to calculate well and fast. To enable participants to record their written results. Thus Kalkil San Limit will include the following sections: numeracy, problem solving, geometry, and mental calculation. Numeracy is a key part of the core skill base of a literate individual. In our Haiti, this means the ability to understand and use basic maths in real life situations at home, in the market place, or for agricultural transactions. We are preparing to go to print this summer! By Sarah Grey Alfa Limonade, Haiti