Matènwa Library
We have always seen the MCLC as a beacon of hope for progressive education in Haiti. Please watch this video to see how Matènwa Community Learning Center served as the lighthouse training center to kick off 7 Waveplace pilots to bring computer literacy to the children of Haiti. The Wave is continuing to roll out with 4 more pilots this winter.
Dear MCLC Supporters,
We thank you for our dedication to the vital work happening in the Matènwa Community. Haggerty School (Cambridge, Massachusetts) librarian, Karen Kosko, connected us to FACES children’s magazine. We have been working on two projects: one featuring 10 students between the ages of 9 – 14 and one longer photo interview of a junior high student for FACES’ Fall 2011 publication.
My name is Peter-Frantz. I am eleven years old. I was born and raised in Haiti. I live in Nan Jozen, La Gonave. My school has a library where I can do research. I like Haiti very much because it has a beautiful culture and a beautiful language: Creole. I like to drink coffee because the Haitian coffee is the number one coffee in the world. In my country people have lots of respect for others regardless of where you are from. I am proud to be Haitian.
MIT linguist professor, Michel DeGraff, has a grant this year to work on technology-enhanced and Kreyòl-based education. He is currently at the stage of working with an evolving team of educators and programmers to produce a suite of Kreyòl and computer-based games for the teaching of 4th grade math. He has been working with the MCLC teachers this year, having made four visits to the site so far to brainstorm and plan a controlled experiment to evaluate the effects of such games.
You can see an excerpt that’s currently being translated (with voice-over) on plate tectonics, along with another video on photosynthesis at http://haiti.mit.edu/2010/10/22/blossoms-video-with-kreyo/ . The original videos are at http://blossoms.mit.edu/video/adam.html and http://blossoms.mit.edu/video/vandiver.html. Also in the works: subtitles for a calculus video from MIT’s OpenCourseWare: http://haiti.mit.edu/2010/10/13/mit-ocw-videos-with-creole/
Michel is still looking for more programmers with knowledge of Kreyòl and 4th grade math, further down the road we’ll need help from researchers familiar with Haiti, educational technology and experience in assessing educational interventions.
Sincerely,
Chris Low, Executive Director
The Driscoll Extended Day Program (DEDP) is a non-profit after school program that takes place at the Michael Driscoll School in Brookline, MA. Every year DEDP hosts a charity craft fair–this year the program was happy to donate to the Matènwa Community Learning Center, having been particularly impressed with MCLC’s multi-faceted approach to helping its community. Through the yearly event, teachers hope their students will start and continue on a path of social responsibility.
Kids from Kindergarten through 5th grade worked from September to late November making crafts, baking sweets, and selling raffle tickets for the event. Teachers from the program donated gift certificates and services to be raffled off. The event was a huge success, and the students involved were genuinely interested to learn about the people they were helping in Haiti.
Dear Supporters,
A picture tells a thousand words. With all the disheartening news one can get very discouraged and feel that contributing to Haiti is like throwing money into a hole in the ground. The Matènwa community assures you that your contributions are making our land fertile and the growth of the children’s accomplishments in their social and academic lives tangible. They are making holes in the ground to plant trees, fruits, and vegetables.
When you feel that Haiti is caught in an endless cycle of despair remember MCLC’s school cycle and discussion circles. Each annual cycle shows progress, their circles encourage critical thinking skills and self-determination.
The MCLC teachers’ work is vital to a successful collaborative model.
Please share these pictures to tell the positive story.
Preschoolers in the Garden
Whole School Weekly Meeting
Story Time in the Library
Every dollar counts. Thank you for remembering us each month.
Sincerely,
Chris Low in behalf of MCLC
October 2010
Dear Friends of Matènwa,
During difficult times change and new life emerges. We are beginning our 15th year with new administrative structures and roles. Abner Sauveur and I, co-founders and co-directors for the last 14 years will now be able to do more outreach to other schools in Haiti and the US as our new team of directors, Ezner Angervil Chair, Millienne Angervil-Petion Secretary, and Roseline Obel Resources Manager, take over the daily administration of the school. Abner will promote school gardens and pedagogy in and beyond Matènwa, and I will be executive director of MCLC, as well as focusing on the creation of more Mother Tongue Books and school partners.
Our team spent two and a half weeks in the Boston area observing and in conversation with classroom teachers, students, and administrators at the Fayerweather Street, Atrium, Belmont Day, Rafael Hernandez, and John M. Tobin Schools. This trip was sponsored by the Fayerweather Street School’s Matènwa Teacher Exchange grant. The team met with the newly formed Friends of Matènwa Board. They then returned to do a week of orientation. The trip is already bearing fruit.
Yesterday’s email from Millienne read, “ We had a great opening day of school. After sitting in a big circle to welcome students and their parents, they entered their classrooms. Teachers explained what they planned for the year and discussed expectations for parent participation. We had each parent talk about their child. It was a truly exciting day!”
Sincerely,
Chris Low
Executive Director MCLC
We will never stop thanking you for your huge support that allowed us to successfully finish the 2009-2010 academic year. Since August 1 we started preparing for October which is when the new school year will start. We are doing construction and repairs while the children are on vacation. Our Local Arts Center, a set of 5 one-room structures, is almost finished. One room has a cistern below its floor; the other four are round rooms awaiting grass roofs. We put a brand new gutter on the round building.
We are making headway with our efforts to promote the use of Creole books in other schools. The local government school inspector has asked the 50 schools he oversees to use books in Creole through the third grade. We already bought new Creole schoolbooks from KOPAVIT L’Action Sociale thanks to a grant from Rotary. In the garden we have eggplants and hot peppers ready for sale.
Sincerely,
Secretary Millienne Angervil
Co-director Abner Sauveur
