Author: potapiman

During the months of March, April and May 2018, a student contest, “Débat Génie Scolaire”, organized by the Haitian National Police and the Department of Education was held in the department Sud of Haiti. Fifty four (54) national public schools participated.. EFACAP of Port-a-Piment was represented by a team of 8 students from its class of 9eme Annee Fondamentale  (9AF).

The contest would challenge the students on their knowledge of French, Creole, Mathematics and general contemporary subjects.

The EFACAP School of Port-a-Piment was a participant and made it to the final stages.

The students first competed at the commune and district levels.

EFACAP of Port-a-Piment won all the preliminary phases and thus qualified to represent the district of Côteaux. The district of Côteaux is formed by the communes of Coteaux, Roche a Bateau and Port-a-Piment.

The finale was held in Cayes and was completed on May 25^th 2018.   EFACAP of Port-a-Piment won Third Place. The National School Ste Rose de Lima of Maniche and The National School of Colette from Torbeck won 1st and 2^nd place respectively.

We congratulate these devoted students for their tenacity and resolve.  We salute the students from EFACAP of Port-a-Piment for their engagement, motivation and will to beat the odds.  We congratulate the teachers for their service. We also recognize the school director, Prof Josue Paul, for his dedication and commitment.

Konbit Pou Potapiman is proud to have supported the EFACAP of Port-a-Piment and its students in this competition.

The students who participated and won the 3^rd place as a team are:

• Sofia Jean-Baptiste
• Vendimière Kryford
• Asline Guerrier
• Becky Toussaint
• Jean-Michel Clergy
• Idea Hyppolite
• Germane Vital
• Breslow B Francois

Congratulations to all the winners!

Background:

Jabouin is a small and poor village located in the commune of Port-a-Piment; a 1 ½ to 2 hours walking distance from the center of town.  On October 4^th, 2016, Hurricane Matthew totally destroyed the area, including its only school.Since that time, KPP has been assisting the school with payroll and school supplies.

Since the passage of Matthew, the school of Jabouin has been on life support. Classes are held under a tarp or in the open air when the heat is unbearable. When it rains, the kids are unable to attend school; at times for several days in a row.The tarp now must accommodate 4 classes, 4 teachers and 118 students.

 

The community of Jabouin, and the School Principal, Mr Mondin  Saint-Cyr, requested our help, your help,  to build a structure where the children can be safe from the elements.

KPP accepted the challenge, and since late in 2017, KPP has been making plans to rebuild the school.

 

The Plan:

KPP contacted 2 local firms for an estimate to build a modest school of 4 rooms, 1 Office with Storage and 4 Latrines. The estimates varied between USD 20.000 and 25.000. It is noted that some work and materials would be provided by the community.

KPP verified the deed of a piece of land donated by Mr Fresner Villarson,a local resident , and it also verified that the school had been certified as a community school for the commune of Jabouin.

KPP contacted different international organizations that build schools in Haiti. One such organization is considering our request. The engineer has so far made 2 site visits, and held a meeting with the community. A second community meeting is scheduled for April the 18^th. If the project is approved, the organization would provide an engineer, foremen and some building materials. The community, with the help of KPP, would provide sand, rocks, water as well as the workforce.

KPP held 2 drives to collect money for this project. A Giving Tuesday drive in November, and a Pledge drive held at our December gala provided us with a total of $ 5377.

On Friday, March 2^nd, 4 members of KPP Inc, having left from the States, traveled to Jabouin. They met the School Director, the students, the parents, members of the community. A meeting was held with the adults where Frantz J Jean, President of KPP, discussed with the residents the plan of construction and the expected involvement of the community. The group also visited the proposed site. On March 15th , Frantz J Jean and KPP member Emiel Jacob met with the engineer to review the requirements of the building organization.

 

Since our visit:

On March 16th, the community held a “Konbit” to clear the site of all foliage, rocks and debris….

On March 27th , sand and rocks were transported to the site by the residents, mostly parents of the students.

 

As of now:

KPP has not yet received a written commitment from the organization. If our request is denied, we will continue with our plans to erect the school, using one of the local builders.

We do understand that the money collected is not yet sufficient to build the entire school. But we have made moving to a better structure a priority, and we will start with what we have, and add rooms as funds become available.

By the next school year, the children of Jabouin should be moving into a better school.

We thank each and every one of you who is helping to make this dream a reality.  Should you wish to contribute to this cause, please contact us at: potapiman@yahoo.com or call at 516-2706144

Konbit Pou Potapiman continues on its mission to help develop the commune of Port-a-Piment. With a vision of a better future for our commune, we are proud to share that KPP is supporting a school garden project, a “Jardin Scolaire”, which is being implemented at the “Ecole Nationale de Figuiers”.

Indeed, with the approval of Mr.Jacques Frazil, School Director, and under the guidance of Agronomist Gerdy Francois, the students of 4^th, 5^th and 6^th Année Fondamentale are actively participating in the Jardin Scolaire. They are learning the basics of growing foods, using the garden as an outdoor laboratory.

At a recent visit, we were amazed by the amount of land already tilled, as well as the neat rows of plants of green peppers, cabbage, beets, cabbage, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers and eggplants that the students are tending. Agr. Francois informed us that, at harvest, the vegetables will be used in the school canteen, and students will be provided with seedlings to take home and build their own garden

Last month, Frantz Jean, President of KPP visited the school and had the opportunity to interact with the students. He was pleased to hear them speak of the project. Each class spends two 45 minute sessions per week with Agr. Francois. The teachers are also active participants in the project.

We are truly encouraged by what we have witnessed, and the learning opportunity offered to these children. This type of activity promotes a healthy lifestyle; helps our children to be conscious of their environment, encourages hands-on learning and promotes the skills of communication, teamwork and patience.

On behalf of the KPP board of directors, we express our sincere gratitude to Director  Jacques Frazil, for his understanding and his engagement to the students.

And a special Thank You goes to Agronomist Gerdy Francois for his dedication, patience and discipline.

Hats off! Chapo Ba!

(For a contribution to this specific project, please feel free to contact us: potapiman@yahoo.com or call us at 516-270-6144)

 

 

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