Project updates from Haiti

The Steve Sinnott Learning Resource Centre is being used every day. 302 students and teachers use the resource here every week: 1st grade to High School students take at least 2 hours of computer classes and English, the virtual lab is used for high schoolers for chemistry and physics, our 82 pre schoolers also use the lab for audio visual English and Lakou Kajou educational materials. All the other extracurricular activities (sewing, crafts, culinary arts, dance, painting) benefit 85 students. 23 Community youths and 8 VSLA Community Supervisors take online English and computer courses on Saturdays and Sundays. In total 350 beneficiaries every week benefit from the resources.


Gender Based Violence and Positive Periods Training:

We had a surprise visit in March from Jean Jean Roosevelt, the well-known Haitian Canadian artist, in support of our GBV campaign. JJR is also a UNICEF Ambassador, he had a special program for just our boys to share their opinions about GBV. They wrote a paragraph on how it is affecting them personally and their communities and what message they can share to stop GBV. Several boys were able to come up onto the stage to perform and he arranged everything into a music video that will be released shortly. He is visiting several schools to record boys' voices about GBV issues, and the best song will win the contest. I hope we do. 


Gender Based Violence Awareness Campaign:

Steve Sinnott Foundation, Sonje Ayiti, SosPsy and SAGE SERVICES. In March we dedicated a campaign called Violence Basée sur le Genre (VBG) to women's rights and the fight for equality The Steve Sinnott Foundation, Sonje Ayiti, SosPsy and SAGE SERVICES launched a joint awareness campaign to combat Gender-Based Violence (VBG). This initiative aims to educate, prevent and mobilize the community against all forms of gender-related violence, whether physical, psychological, economic or social. Through workshops, inspiring testimonials and awareness sessions, these structures are committed to: - Breaking the silence surrounding the VBGs. - Strengthen access to resources and support services for survivors. - Promote a culture of respect and fairness in all areas (home, work, school, church, etc.) ). “Every act of awareness is a step towards a fairer society. Together, let's denounce violence and support the voices of the victims," the coalition states. How to participate? It's simple! Share our awareness posts on social networks with the hashtag #NoToVBG. 


An awareness session against VBG:

On March 09 2025 as part of the campaign to raise awareness against Gender Based Violence, Sonje Ayiti, SAGE SERVICES and SOS PSY Haiti continued their actions in Ba-Fossé, in the Evangelical Church of Light and Life. Many thanks to all the partners who support this initiative: The Steve Sinnott Foundation , CECE, LHDRadio, Radio Francophonie. 


A special thank you to the Soroptimists  International Foundation for match funding GBV and Positive Periods training this month. 


Together we continue to work towards sustainable change! 


Soroptimist International Foundation is pleased to support the Steve Sinnott Foundation’s ‘Ensuring Girls’ Equitable Access to Education’ project, which tackles period poverty and violence —key barriers to girls' education. The initiative will train women and girls to produce reusable period pads, promote menstrual hygiene, and educate communities to challenge harmful myths. It also empowers school leaders to address violence against girls and advocate for equal education opportunities. With £16,000 in funding, Soroptimist International Foundation is helping drive lasting change in Haiti and Nepal, ensuring more girls can stay in school and thrive.

Gabrielle Aurel • May 26, 2025

What happens when creativity, young people, education and community come together?

By Ann Beatty • August 25, 2026
Seeds of Hope are everywhere! “I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I arrived at Stage at the Lake…” But it was special to meet all of the Calderdale team in person, who had brought this four-day event together so successfully. Sometimes an event stays with you long after the final performance has finished. My visit to Stage at the Lake at the beautiful Shibden Hall in Calderdale was one of those occasions. As UNESCO ASPnet UK Coordinator, I was delighted to be invited as a guest, but what I experienced was much more than simply attending an event. Here, in the grounds of a house steeped in history, the past, present and future seemed to meet. The English Chamber Orchestra filled the setting with music, Northern Ballet brought movement and storytelling to life, and throughout there was a wonderful sense of creativity, community and possibility. And then there were the parklets; a unique gardening festival at Shibden Park celebrating community, creativity and the power of nature to bring people together. At its heart was a specially commissioned trail of ten micro show gardens, designed and built by community groups from across Calderdale. It was wonderful to see spaces where ideas, conversations and creativity were flourishing and connecting through Seeds of Hope. I cannot wait to see them transported to their ‘forever homes’. Standing there, I found myself thinking about what we mean when we talk about education, culture and hope. 

Alfa Liv Kalkil - Math concepts for popular literacy classes in Haiti

By Chancy Jak • August 25, 2026
2025 During the annual fomasyon for Alfa monitors, Antoliyis Pye gave an extensive presentation on how best to introduce and develop basic math concepts in literacy classes. The response to his insight and enthusiasm led to our decision to create our own math book for Alfa participants.  In Haiti and around the world, illiterate market women and peasant farmers develop their own techniques for calculating and recording numbers. However, in providing literacy for the development of our people, we must also introduce the world of conventional numeracy. These skills lead to logical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to interpret and make informed decisions on numerical evidence. For a year we worked together to draft the contents of our Alfa Liv Kalkil, seek illustrations, create layout, and finally take our product to the local printer. Funds were provided for 350 copies, enough for each Alfa participant at each of our sites at the present level of attendance. 2026 Our next step was to fully engage each Alfa monitor in the process for introduction and use of Liv Kalkil in Alfa classes. Our two day fomasyon for 2026 was dedicated to ensuring that each member of our team was familiar with the book and comfortable in implementing the concepts with Alfa participants. The sessions were a great success. Every monitor was extremely pleased with this new tool which will allow them and their classes to work together in the world of mathematics. Liv Kalkil is now in service for every participant throughout Alfa, from Limonade itself out to sites in the hills and along the river. It is with some excitement that the monitors and participants are beginning to use our very own, home-grown, math book. In the same way that we already had Goute Sel*, Lekti Netale*, Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti*, we are proud to have this math book which advances our shared work for the development of our people. We are profoundly grateful to all those who have encouraged and supported us in developing this book. We want to thank our dedicated team of monitors, the Alfa support team in Columbus, Ann Beatty and the Steve Sinnott Foundation, and the many others who contribute to our literacy programme. Chancy Jak (Alfa Co-ordinator) Antoliyis Pye (senior monitor) *Goute Sel: Taste of Salt (base text for Alfa literacy classes) *Lekti Netale (reading comprehension) *Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti (stories from Haitian history; Alfa second level)

Five Days, 64 Educators, One Renewed Mission

By Marie Antoinette Corr • August 10, 2026
Every teacher has a time in their career when a student needs someone to listen to them instead of just a lesson plan. Schools have been preparing for that moment for far too long. That started to alter on Friday, August 7, 2026. After completing a five-day guidance and counselling program in the RED 2 West hall in Brikama, 64 educators left with certificates and something more substantial than paper. They left with a duty: to be a support system for young people negotiating the challenging realities of school and life, a listening ear for a struggling student, and a source of advice for a colleague. Why This Training Matters During the closing ceremony, union leaders and education administrators made it clear that schools need counsellors, and they need them right now. The message is grounded in reality. Today's students face an ever-more complicated array of social, emotional, financial, and personal obstacles as they enter the school each morning. Teachers are the first to notice it. They are the ones in the classroom when a youngster needs someone to notice, when a student becomes quiet, or when grades decline for no apparent reason. Guidance and counselling have traditionally been viewed as optional extras rather than essential components of a school's operations. This instruction directly challenged that notion. Counselling and guidance are not extras. It contributes to the success of a school. Five Days of Learning and Practice Over the course of the week, participants moved beyond theory into practice, building the listening skills, guidance techniques, and support strategies they'll need to respond to real situations in real time. It wasn't just about acquiring knowledge; it was about rehearsing the kind of presence that makes a difference when a student or colleague needs it most. By the final day, the room held a shared sense of purpose. Participants reflected on what the five days had given them, not only new skills, but a renewed sense of why they came into education in the first place. They thanked the funders who made the training possible and made a collective commitment: to serve with diligence, empathy, and purpose. Taking It Beyond the Training Room The real test of this training won't happen in Brikama; it'll happen in the weeks and months ahead, in classrooms, corridors, staffrooms, and communities across the region. The 64 newly certified counsellors were challenged to carry what they learned into every one of those spaces: to notice the learner who's struggling silently, to check in on the colleague who seems overwhelmed, to be the steady presence that a school community can lean on. That's the real outcome of a training like this. Not just a certificate, but a shift in what's considered normal: a school culture where guidance and counselling sit at the centre of education, not the margins.