What is happening in Haiti?
We were all set to start the Positive Periods workshop in Haiti, it had to be delayed, but not for long. The project is up and running despite the current challenges in Haiti, more about this shortly.
Here is some news about the current situation in Haiti, which you may not have seen or heard in the National News here in the U.K.
On the 7th July the president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in his home, and the first lady is in a critical condition. It is still not clear what happened and rumours abound as to who could be behind this.
Martial Law has been declared and the Dominican Republic has closed its borders with Haiti. To complicate matters, due to an extraordinary array of circumstances, there was no-one who could step in to replace the president.
The country’s constitution indicates that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, René Sylvestre, should have stepped in and taken charge. However, he was a victim of Covid-19 and died just a week before the assassination of the President. So the next in line to take over was the Prime Minister.
But which Prime Minister? Just a day or two before his death, the President had changed Prime Ministers. He had named Ariel Henry for the office but his nomination did not have time to be confirmed so he was not yet sworn in before the assassination, and neither was his new cabinet.
Only one third of parliament was functional at the time of the assassination. It would take too long to organise elections to find agreement on a replacement, so consensus was proposed by all members of other parties that Claude Joseph, the outgoing Prime Minister, would assume the role until elections can be organised. Ariel Henry contests his right to do this and claims that the national leadership should fall to him.
No one knows what is next for Haiti. The constitution doesn’t have a clause for this particular situation. There are only 10 functioning members in parliament right now so nothing in the constitution can be called on, it is certainly unchartered territory and the repercussions are felt throughout the Caribbean.
This is the 5th president in Haiti’s history who has been assassinated. The U.S. has helped in the past, and may at times have got too involved. There has been a history of outside interventions harming Haiti. There is a feeling among many Haitian groups that Haitians need to discuss together their own Haitian solution, and find a solution from the Haitian people, rather than have a solution imposed from outside.
People are still in a state of shock. With a lot of uncertainty and fear, people are understandably very uneasy right now. There is a distrust in the armed forces. Many do not want another US or UN occupation. They want the support of the international community, but don’t want unnecessary interference. They want humanitarian help, businesses are not able to function right now, and there will be difficulty to supply food and medicine at some point. Doctors Without Borders there are concerned about their safety. Schools had ended for the term, but the situation is too tense for the exams to take place.
The government is not asking for a formal occupation, just support to keep vital services open. Haiti is asking help from the OES, UN and US, to secure the vital sites like gas, airports, hospitals. They want to work on capacity building in sectors that were struggling before this event, and even more so now. Maybe it would be more beneficial for the international community to be sending key people to Haiti to help build capacity together.
As an added layer of complication in the years leading up to this, the level of violence and insecurity and active gang activity in the area of the law courts, has paralysed the justice system for the last three years. There is currently a total collapse of the judiciary institutions, the judiciary council is currently not functional.
There is also freedom of information in Haiti, but Haiti has insecurities, and freedom of information is one of the most important issues to solve at the moment too. Only ten days ago, two leading journalists were murdered in the streets and, a day or so later, sixteen civilians were massacred in broad daylight in Port-au-Prince.
The question now is; how can one assist Haiti, not control, not give charity. How can we give hope? Haiti was the pearl of the Caribbean, Haitians from all walks of life will put their minds together, they did something in the past that no-one else could do. They still have that, they will find the solution that works for them.
That’s what The Steve Sinnott Foundation is doing in Haiti. Enabling Haitians on the ground through supporting projects that will enable rather than make others reliant, giving ownership to the projects and enabling others to adapt them, make them their own and use them as their own springboard to success.
Sadly this situation is not headline news in the UK. It’s true that we have a sudden increase in Covid and there was a Football match at the time. The information in this article has come from the Haiti All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting in July 2021. We need to bring Haiti into the news and let people know what is happening there.
Steve Sinnott • July 20, 2021
This week our CEO Ann and Jude (SSF Ambassador) visited schools in Coventry and heard about the wonderful work that students are doing to foster peace and community connection, as part of Coventry Arts Week. We visited Lyng Hall school in the morning and met with Ms Hagan and four of the schools UNESCO ASPnet ambassadors. They told us all about their recent project. The students took their art and poetry to the 80th Anniversary symposium in Ypres and Dunkirk. They shared with us some of the poetry they had written together with the students on the field trip and some of their own poems too. They also shared their future plans for working with their local primary school on peace and community. We also had the privilege of joining Ms Hagans class where they were looking at Caliban’s tale. Here is one of the students work
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.
Defining Success in Education: Bridging Gaps for a Better Future Education is often seen as the gateway to personal and societal advancement through personal betterment. But defining success in education requires a deeper understanding than just academic achievement, it isn’t just about qualifications or certificates. Rather educational success is about ensuring access to learning that is inclusive, equitable and quality-driven. It’s about equipping students with critical thinking skills and the space to be creative. A quality education fosters holistic approaches, promoting emotional, social and intellectual growth. On a societal level, educational success is about ensuring we value and appreciate a society wide distribution of knowledge and skills; that diversity of thought can be just as important as orthodoxy. Ensuring Access to Education that Meets Individual Needs Traditional western forms of education based within on e-size-fits all models are inadequate in a world where learners have diverse backgrounds, abilities and needs. A shift is needed away from the top-down deficit model approaches which assume teaching and learning is transactional or akin to filling empty vessels, or as Paulo Freire described it, the Banking Model of teaching. Success in education will come from programmes that respect differences between individuals and across communities, using, for example, adaptive learning approaches. Additionally, integrating support for learners with neurodivergent needs or disabilities, as well as promoting (and indeed funding) digital literacy, can ensure that education is individual but also focused on the emancipatory effects of education. Gender and Racial Equity: The Pillars of Inclusive Education Gender and racial equity are crucial components of a successful education system and a founding component of Sustainable Development Goal 4. Although there has been significant progress here, disparities globally still persist. Barriers such as gender-based violence, early marriage and inadequate school infrastructure pose challenges for the international community. Similarly, racial inequality in education can manifest in various ways, from lower access to quality schooling to biased curricula that don't reflect diverse cultures or histories. To address these disparities, education systems should continue to develop policies that promote gender-sensitive curricula and address the specific needs of marginalised groups. Investing in female education, particularly in underserved areas such as sexual health, has been shown to create a ripple effect that benefits entire communities. Similarly, anti-racist educational frameworks can help to make sure that all students, regardless of their race or gender, receive the same opportunities to thrive. Creating a Better Future: What Needs to Be Done? Most importantly, we need to keep talking about SDG 4 — providing inclusive and equitable education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. The more SDG4 is part of the global conversation the more likely it will become part of the taken for granted expectations of all countries and communities. The more academics like me discuss it in our lectures and have it in assignments, likely the more we are to normalise high quality, free primary and secondary education with our future global leaders. But more than this SDG4 should be at the heart of grass roots conversations, in every classroom, playground, and café. The more we talk about it the more a part of our global culture equitable access to education will become. Ultimately, success in education will not be defined by what certificates students attain, but by how well we equip individuals and communities to navigate and shape the world. Education should empower individuals, communities and nations to achieve their full potential, breaking down barriers that have traditionally limited access and opportunity. By striving for inclusivity, equity and quality, we can build a future where education truly is for everyone. BIOGRAPHY Dr Matthew Round is an academic and educator, who has worked with children from 3 years old to PhD students. Having been a science teacher, pastoral leader, and senior leader in schools in the UK, he now works in Higher Education and his current research focused on the emancipatory philosophies of Pierre Bourdieu and sex and sexuality education.
