Help Haiti

STATUS: launched May 2005 / ongoing

Students from Alberta, Canada, are giving 25¢ each in order to provide scholarships for Haitian students through Yéle’s Help Haiti annual campaign

NEED: There are up to one million children out of school in Haiti. The government can not afford to sponsor public schools, so unfortunately 95 percent of parents in Haiti have to pay tuition for their children – even the poorest of the poor. With the national unemployment rate close to 80 percent and the majority of the population living on less than $1 per day, many families can not afford the cost of education.

RESPONSE: The Help Haiti campaign was launched in 2005 when seven schools in Alberta participated and enough funds were raised to put 20 children in school in Haiti. Last year the number of Alberta schools participating rose to 72, and the money raised put 120 children in school. This year the number will increase further during the annual Help Haiti campaign during the month of May 2008. The core activity involves collecting 25 cents from each student in a participating school and taking the money to an ATB Branch anywhere in the province and depositing it into the Help Haiti account. The scholarships sponsored through Help Haiti are implemented as part of Yéle’s Primary School Scholarships project.

2008 HELP HAITI CAMPAIGN: Throughout the month of May, 2008, Alberta students are invited to take part in the Help Haiti campaign. Details for participation, including the form to use when depositing the quarters at any ATA Branch throughout the province, can be downloaded here:

LINKS: Here are some websites that have various kinds of information and resources about Haiti:

Alberta Teachers' Association - article about Help Haiti

Voices of Youth (UNICEF) – an online game about Haiti where you learn what it takes to survive as a kid there. This game was created by high school students in Global Kids.

CARE – take a virtual tour with CARE and see what Haiti is like.

Discoverhaiti.com – learn more about Haiti's history and culture.

US Library of Congress - facts about Haiti

National Geographic – information and history about Haiti.

TrekEarth – a site that features photographs various people have taken of Haiti

Partner:

Le Fonds de Parrainage National (FPN)

For more information contact helphaiti@yele.org

Photo: ten of the 120 children currently being sponsored by students from Alberta, Canada through Yéle’s HELP HAITI campaign.