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.
MCLC is evaluating itself this month as another school year comes to a close. We only had 14 preschoolers this year in our 4 year olds class. We assume that this is a sign that efforts to educate our community on children’s rights and sexual reproduction have reduced the number of births in our area. This in turn has reduced the number of Matènwa children that might have become restavèks (children that are given away to other families to work in exchange for some food, shelter, clothing, and an education but end up having their rights violated). This year Famn Kouraj intervened in defense of two restavèk children, moving them to other Matènwa families where they would not be verbally abused or physically punished.
Next fall we are opening our preschool to 3 and a half year olds and housing it at our new local arts quad, which consists of four free standing circular grass huts and one free standing music room. We are planning to rotate the children through several activities each day: music, science and gardening, storytelling, recreation, art and math, each headed up by a different specialist. This model is inspired by Child Friendly Space that we observed in an AMURT school in Port au Prince.
We are looking to recruit two volunteers: one Creole Speaking and one French Speaking to do Pre-K to 6 grade teacher training for one year. Please spread the word.
Thank you,
Chris Low
Co-director, Matènwa Community Learning Center
Dear Friends of MCLC,
One evening, about a year and a half ago, two male friends in the community of Matènwa came to my home there. “Chris, remember how you have spoken to us about vasectomies? We are ready. We want you to find a doctor to come here and do vasectomies. We can no longer feed our children. We don’t want to risk having any more.” “You’ll chicken out at the last minute,” I laughed. “No, we are serious. We’ll sign a contract right now. There are other men, too.”
That dream became a reality this past month. Seven men had vasectomies and are now feeling more in control of their lives. One man stated, “Here are my children. These are the kids I did this for. I can now take good care of them and bring them up well. And here is one of the 3 other children that I am helping. I took him in before I had children. Thank you, I was very thirsty for this.”
Another man stated, “For me my only complaint is that I didn’t do this earlier. I already have 3 girls. I should’ve only had 2 children. But I have 3 and will take care of 3. And even if I have more means in the future, I don’t need to have more children, I’d rather help some other children whose parents can’t help them. I should adopt some.”
Thanks for your continued support of the Matènwa Community Learning Center. This is another self-determined step towards the reduction of restavèks (children in servitude) in our community.
Directors Chris Low and Abner Sauveur
69 Grove Street, Watertown, MA
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Annual fundraiser
On March 21st, 2009, the Friends of the Matènwa are hosting An Evening of Education and Hope to tell the story of a remarkable school in the remote mountain area of Matènwa, Haiti. Especially challenged by an autumn that brought several devastating hurricanes to Matènwa and to other impoverished communities of Haiti, the Matènwa Community Learning Center has poured its energy into home reconstruction, feeding those most at risk, and sustaining its educational and community programs. It has led by example in these hardest of times. Please join us in celebrating and supporting this inspirational school. We are fortunate to have as our guest speaker, Jean-Robert Cadet, an advocate for Haitian children’s rights and the author of Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American.
The Matènwa Community Learning Center offers a model of hope and change. The teaching encourages children’s curiosity, develops their skills of inquiry and investigation, and provides projects that impact their community. It is a place where children are taught first in their native language, Creole. Founded thirteen years ago by Abner Sauveur, a local Haitian educator, and Chris Low, a Cambridge-based educator, the school has grown, serving 242 students as well as engaging hundreds in the community. Furthermore, it trains and inspires many educators in other parts of Haiti. Matènwa’s adults are also working together to solve shared problems. Some of the Center’s solutions include a community library, social programs addressing human rights, adult education, an agriculture program, and a growing arts program.
The Matènwa Community Learning Center receives no public funds while serving one of the most economically poor areas in Haiti. It costs the school $300 a year to educate each child; on average students are asked to pay less than $10 per year. In addition, the school feeds all Matènwa students a full hot and healthy meal three times a week, at a cost of $18,000 a year.
Join us for this special evening. We hope to see you on March 21st at the Atrium School in Watertown. If you cannot join us, please consider making a donation. Your support directly impacts the lives of the children and families of Matènwa.
Sincerely,
Friends of Matènwa
Tickets are $60 each.
Dear Friends,
Happy holidays! The Matènwa Community Learning Center has finally caught up with the 21st century! Now you can read all about us at www.matenwaclc.org.
I am so happy to share some of our recent accomplishments and new ventures. For the next several years Juliette and I will be living in Haiti from February to August to further these projects. As part of our efforts to be a TOTALLY GREEN school we are revitalizing local arts and food products that have been disappearing in favor of imported goods. Children are learning to weave and sew. We are planting bamboo and other plants that we can utilize. We already compost and use natural fertilizers as well as solar energy. Haiti has over 300,000 child servants called restavecs. Having access to education, Matènwa families feel no need to give away their children. Last year I trained several adult literacy teachers to use a program by Kathy Cash aimed at improving the treatment of children. Through reading illustrated stories of common abuses with discussion and role-plays afterwards, adults were transformed; some pulled their children from the restavec system, others started giving their restavecs time to play. I was so impressed with this program that I want to implement it across Lagonav. I’ll talk more about this at our fundraiser March 21st. Our guest speaker will be Jean Robert Cadet, author of Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle -Class American. www.restavecfreedom.org
Love, Chris and Juliette
Mother Tongue Books
It is illogical to think that a child can read for meaning in a language for which he or she does not have a rich oral vocabulary.
Equipped with a dozen brand new MacBooks, printers, scanners, cameras, a satellite dish, and solar power (thank you, Rotary), we are making an old dream a new reality. Since our inception in 1996, the elementary classes have been making their own handmade books, but now we are able to publish them and send them to our partner schools here and abroad. By sharing books across borders and translating them into a mother tongue, children are contributing to each other’s education and helping one another become literate. This social justice project brings joy to all who are reading, writing, and exchanging books. We foresee the creation of many Mother Tongue school libraries. ACPrint will produce our most popular titles.
Matènwa teacher Millienne and I received the first Mother Tongue book from Fayerweather Street School students in Cambridge, Ma. Send one in! mothertonguebooks@gmail.com
The Garden and Breakfast program
Tree and vegetable gardening is one way students learn to appreciate their rural community. It’s a skill that directly improves their lives. It provides much of the food for our breakfast program.
“We take such good care of the garden. The plants don’t die. Growing food in your own garden feels great. You get to eat vegetables without spending money to buy them in the market.”~MCLC student
Visits: Life changing experiences for
teachers, students, and families
Many of our goals are being met through exchange visits with Haitians and foreigners. We learn from each other by exchanging ideas and experiencing different environments. Our model’s impact is reflected in the voices of our visitors and hosts.
Reflecting on returning home: “I hope we will settle into a less packaged-and-prepared, more healthful-and-Haitian-like diet… We have noticed that people share what they have, offering something to anyone who comes to their porch…Hopefully, we will return home with a greater appreciation for what we have and choose to live more modestly, resulting in a more balanced, informed lifestyle.” ~Teacher, Portland, Oregon www.mariamhiggins.blogspot.com
“Where I was working I always used a whip… it does not make children understand, on the contrary, it puts them into a slave mentality. [After visiting Matènwa] I made a firm decision to change myself.” ~Teacher, Dezam, Haiti
“The LKM staff has been crucial in the founding and development of the IDEAL school in the slums of Cité Soleil. They’ve welcomed folks as observers, and dedicated their time working with teachers and students there. They deserve virtually all the credit for the school’s choice to use nonviolent teaching and have been the central figures as the IDEAL kids have learned to run a school.” ~Dean of Shimer College, Port –au-Prince, Haiti
We are building on positive interdependency. As your generous support provides education, improved health, and the foundation for human dignity, MCLC also reaches out, offering ecocultural homestays, Creole immersion, teacher training programs, computer classes, and art products for sale. Together we make a sustainable difference in many lives. ~December 2008
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Dear Friends of Matènwa,
In July we hosted a Beyond Borders’ Transformational Travel group for 4 days. Courageous Women performed their Diaspora play showing that when a woman gives herself to a man just because he has money, this could increase her problems rather than solve them.
The Women Artists performed their play on the plight of Restavèks and shared their art. The visitors sat in on our summer elementary classes and a teacher discussion group on Iv Dejan’s book, “Yon lekòl tèt anba nan yon peyi tèt anba” (An Upside Down School In An Upside Down Country).
The group was astonished to see progress, in every sense of the word, being made in a little area like this. Their Beyond Borders leader Coleen Hedglin remarked, “The last time I was in Lagonav was six years ago. What a marvel to see so many trees, the way family life is, lots of women working in all domains, and a climate of peace in Matènwa.”
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Mariam Higgins and her two children Max and Genveive from Portland, Oregon, came to experience Haiti during a three-week homestay. Some highlights after seeing the MCLC summer classes were the Gran Sous swimming hole which is fed by a beautiful water fall, a dramatic lightning storm, a bat cave, grinding fresh nuts into peanut butter, and making Haitian coffee from scratch: a process of grilling, caramelizing, and pounding the beans.
Visitors continue to validate our progress and desire to witness our local hospitality, talents, and treasures. We hope you will come experience cultural eco-tourism here sometime soon.
Sincerely,
Chris Low and Abner Sauveur
Co-Directors
Millienne Angervil
Secretary
