Newsletter September 2024
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The Bon Timoun Foundation is fully committed to making education possible in poor neighbourhoods of Haiti’s capital by supporting three primary schools with 580 children. That includes a daily school meal. The partnership began in 2010; a stable and very good relationship has been built with the teachers, and we are in touch almost every day. The schools have become a key part of their communities and spread positive values of right conduct, honesty and compassion.
A safe place at school, even in the summer!
We achieved our goal of keeping all three schools open throughout the summer. We are even staying open a month longer, because the government has postponed the start of the school year by a month, to 1 October.
We are so proud of the teachers and volunteers who ran very successful summer camps in July, August and September for 400 children in total at 4 locations. As well as at our three schools, Mr Kerby organised a summer camp for 100 children in Tabarre, the neighbourhood where he lives. Many families have had to flee violence and have moved there temporarily, in very harsh conditions. For these children, the chance to do activities with other children, get a meal, and – among other things – take a first-aid course and learn to make sandals is wonderful. Some parents even joined in as volunteers!
The EMNJ school in Galette was closed for six months this year because of the gang war there, but fortunately it was able to reopen for the summer school. Besides school subjects, sport and games, the children learned manicure, macramé and tiling – a first step in vocational training. A group of boys are going to lay the floor tiles themselves in the new kitchen, which had to be built after the old one collapsed. Our priority is to keep giving the children their daily hot meal. Other repairs to the school are also needed because gangs broke in; these are all unexpected costs!
Haiti today
The violence continues, and the gangs control 80% of the capital. They are fighting each other less, though – precisely so that they can take on the police together! Police officers from Kenya, Benin and the Caribbean are arriving in Haiti to train and support the local police force, which numbers only a few thousand officers, to restore order.
Do you have ideas for a fun fundraiser?
Preparations for the new year are in full swing. There are 6 new teachers at the EMNJ schools who are being introduced to the teaching approach of non-violent human values education. It is about creating a loving school climate and mutual respect, and teaching subjects through the values. All teachers are trained both in person by local trainers and online with Katinka.
So that they have at least one good shirt to wear to school, but also so they can be recognised – which offers extra safety – the children at the EMNJ schools wear a school T-shirt. At ABC they wear a school uniform, but it is not compulsory.
Together we achieve a lot
A lot has happened in the Netherlands too. Two of the foundation’s loyal supporters have set up ‘The Haïti Club’ to raise funds for special projects. The proceeds of the ‘Gentlemen’s Dinner’, for example, were used to build a secure wall around the school in Torcelle. This means food can now also be grown in the school garden, which used to be too marshy.
Our chair, Lalita de Goederen, baked stroopwafels with teenagers and sold them for charity at the Dorpskerk during the Bloemendaal annual fair.
Will you join the back-to-school campaign for our 580 pupils?
Per child, this comes to:
A school T-shirt: €10
Workbooks for the nursery children: €25
Schoolbooks for primary school: €45
With many thanks to all of you who support these 580 children, the 2 head teachers, the 32 teachers and the 12 staff members. A world of difference for the children, their families and the whole neighbourhood.