Back in April 2020, we had posted on the KPP website about our efforts to help the population of Port-a-Piment cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, schools had closed and our efforts had targeted families and patients at the hospital. When schools were scheduled to reopen on August 10th, 2020, the Board of Directors of KPP decided to complete the program with a distribution of masks to school children.
The mask distribution program took place in two phases. On August 10th, masks were distributed to students and school teachers of 9ème Année Fondamentale and the class of Philo.
On August 17th, the date when classes resumed for primary and secondary students, face masks were distributed to the remaining students of the commune. A total of 3065 students attend school in the town of Port-a-Piment and the villages of the commune and will benefit from the program.
Students were educated on the course of the virus and the purpose of the masks. They were advised on washing them daily. Students were also encouraged to practice frequent hand washing.
Our special thanks go to the KPP-Haiti members: Paule-Edline Orcel, Jean Jules Musac, Phebe Jean, as well as all the school administrators for their tireless efforts to make this program a success and ensure the safety of the population. With the assistance of local skilled professionals, they were able to produce enough masks to meet the demands of the community. KPP also thanks all of its supporters for their kind donations.
The Haitian Board of Education has mandated that all students must wear a mask to attend school. We hope that this program will allow the school system in Port-a-Piment to comply with that mandate.
JM Florestal
Excellent job! Congratulations to KPP and its team on the ground to bring this project to fruition. May this initiative serve as an example in other communities and most importantly, to the authorities, to show how to manage a crisis in their communities…..