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| UPDATE: WE WOULD LIKE TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT THE CHILDREN AT ECOLE DU VILLAGE ARE FINE.
AS A LESSON LEARNED, WE ARE ARE TRYING TO BUILD STRONGER CLASSROOMS AND MOVE THE CHILDREN TO HIGHER GROUND TO PREVENT THE KIND OF DISASTER THAT OCCURED IN PORT-AU-PRINCE.
PLEASE SEND YOUR DONATION TO: EDEM FOUNDATION: P.O BOX 3313, FRAMINGHAM, MA 01705
Or Click Here to donate online:
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Welcome to Ecole du VillageThe children of Ile-a-Vache live in a particularly difficult situation. Some even at the age of 4 have to walk over an hour to get to the nearest school. Some parents can not afford the mere $2.25 registration fee required by the school. But this does not discourage the kids from waking up every morning looking for a place to learn. EDEM Foundation works together with HOPE Foundation to help cover the basic needs of the school and the salary of the teachers and the director. Your support helps us turn this remote location into a little paradise where education is key to the future of the children.OJECTIVES:
Provide basic education to the children. Create a stimulating environment for the children to promote their physical, mental and social growth. Develop programs that fit with the environment of the school and the island. Provide the school with the necessary tools for a good learning environment. Encourage the involvement of the parents and the community at large in the education of the children. |
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Click Here to make a one time donation Or a small donation of $60 is what it takes to cover one child for a year. Please fill out the form below and list the child(ren) you wish to sponsor. Please scroll down for a list of children. Each child will pay back his tuition by planting a tree in his backyard to make the world a GREENER place. EDEM Foundation P.O Box 3313 Framingham, MA 01705 EDEM Foundation is a project of Congressional District Programs, Inc. A registered 501(c)(3) public charity |
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GREENBACK: HELP A CHILD AND GET PAID IN GREEN
PARTNERING WITH ST. BRIDGETS SCHOOL IN FRAMINGHAM, MA
“This partnership is a wonderful opportunity for our
children to expand their ideas of service to others.
Friendship and service are not only local, they are global, and this
partnership helps our children to learn about and virtually “visit” a part
of the world they might otherwise never get a chance to experience,”
commented Mrs. Roseanne Mungovan , principal of Saint Bridget School
. We might have Kindergartners sharing pictures of their
families with the youngest Ecole du Village students, 5th grade students
learning about the geography of Haiti , middle school students studying
Haitian Creole and French art, while the students at the Haiti school are
learning English and the history of Massachusetts . With the
benefits of the Internet, the children can even share in an instant
pen-pal style relationship.”
The Children at Ecole du Village will share
their knowledge of the environment with St. Bridget School and will plant
a tree on behalf of all of their friends at St. Bridget. HISTORY OF ECOLE DU VILLAGE
Starting the school was no easy task. Rain and storm delayed the construction of the school. Myriam had to start the school under a tree. The children had a hard time focusing, they were passive and were not paying much attention. Most of the children never held a pen or a pencil in the past and showed no interest in the games. But the school finally took off and children showed up everyday with a smile. Unfortunately by the end of 2006, Myriam had to leave the island. Florence completed her 10 months and returned back to Europe. Upon hearing about the closure of the school, Jean-Patrick and Bernadette Lucien of EDEM Foundation contacted some leaders in the community and offered to help reopen the school. Meetings were held by some leaders and parents and all agreed to reopen the school. H.O.P.E, an organization based in Chicago and supporting education in Haiti quickly committed to cover the salary of the teachers. A committee was put in place by the members of the community to manage the school. Today, the school counted 83 students, 5 instructors, and a principal. The community of Canobert wishes to thank Myriam for her inspiration and initiative.
SCHOOL MANAGEMENT
The classes are taught by experienced teachers chosen by the school committee, all members of the community. EDEM Foundation, located in Boston, Massachusetts togehter with HOPE Foundation provides financial and logistic support to the school. The committee gives a special attention to the involvement of parents in the activities of the school. ABOUT ilE-A-VACHE
School
Construction: The Ile-a-Vache Book: "Mwen Renmen
Ilavach", "I Love Ile-a-Vache": (read
online)
Ecole du Village would like to thank those friends and members of the community who have left us in recent years. Each of them has played a major role in the success of the school.
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Please consider sponsoring a
child.
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L'Ecole du Village is
an elementary school welcoming children to get them ready for basic
reading, writing and math. L'Ecole du Village ensures a place for the
children who are under privileged in the small community of Canobert at
Ile-a-Vache, Haiti. 
Investment in
education is as essential as investment in our environment.
A unique opportunity was
presented to the school community by at Saint Bridget School family in
Framingham, Massachusetts to share in a partnership with Ecole du Village.
Bridget School will establish a Friendship Exchange Club with the children
of Ecole du Village in Haiti where both schools will learn about each
other through arts, culture, history, communication and
friendship. 
On October 2005, L'Ecole
du Village opened its doors at Canobert, a small community in the
island of Ile-a-Vache with the support of the Association " Solidaires de
l'Ile à Vache-Haïti " of the Schools of Steiner-Waldorf, France. Myriam
Silien who earlier moved from France to Ile-a-Vache took control of the
school with the support of Florence Tessier, who volunteered to stay for
10 months. The kindergarten welcomed 13 children lead by Florence while
Myriam ran the first grade class. Myriam and Florence were inspired by the
Waldorf School system which they attended and applied the system to fit
the environment of the children. They limited the school to
16 students but the demand was so great that they could have
welcomed over 100 children.
A committee
made by members of the community (see picture left) assures the management
of the school. The committee includes a president, vice-president, a
treasurer, and a secretary. The school is run by Jean-Sauny Pierre. Jean
Sauny has years of experience in the education sector and has ran other
schools on the island. 
Ile-a-Vache is a beautiful island located in
the south of Haiti at 6 miles of the coast of the city of
LesCayes. Ile-a-Vache has a population of about
22,000. The island is known for its beautiful environment, great
history and friendly people. The population and relies mostly
on fishing and agriculture. Please visit 
Within two years, the
school has gone from 26 students to over 80 students adding one grade
every year. This year (2008), the school will reopen with 5
grades. With the support of the community and the mayor, we are
embarking on the construction of a new school. Mayor Yvres Amazan of
Ile-a-Vache and René Sillien provided the land for the school.
We also had the support of some friends from New-Hampshire, Dorise
kowalewski and Nicholas Scalera who have volunteered 2 months of their
time to go to Ile-a-Vache and help with the construction. Nicholas
has been instrumental in helping fix some of our benches.
(
In order for provide the children of the island with a better
education and a chance to discovery their won identity;
