St Vincent’s Green Team continue to be involved in the We Act Campaign, which requires participating schools to make a commitment to carrying out actions to help others and protect people and the environment in their school, local and the wider community. Older pupils in Green Team and School Council attended an inspirational WE Day Concert at Wembley Arena, in which the aims of the We Act Campaign were explained by motivational speakers, celebrities and musical performers. Green Team decided that as part of their Spring World Week project, they would raise funds for the WE Charity, which provides school equipment, school lunches and clean water for schools in different countries. By organising a sponsored Animal Athletics we raised an impressive £1792.46! After looking at the different countries supported by the WE Charity, Green Team decided to send the money to Haiti. We were very pleased that Melissa Agnew visited our school and led an informative assembly to let us know how this money is being used.
La Chanm
The community of La Chanm is in the Central Plateau region of Haïti, which is the most rural and underdeveloped area of the country. The community is faced with limited access to education, a lack of access to clean and safe water, and minimal economic opportunities. WE works in partnership with La Chanm and the local government to implement WE Villages, which is holistic and sustainable international development programming focused on empowering community members with the resources and knowledge to break the cycle of poverty in their community.
Education
When children are educated, they are armed with the courage and self-confidence to better themselves and their families, their communities and the next generation. When you break down the barriers to education, you help break the cycle of poverty. The school in La Chanm was founded in 2012 when a child tragically drowned trying to cross the river to attend the nearest school in a neighbouring community. His uncle was determined to establish a local school so that children could receive an education safely in their community. Community members put together a makeshift school, made of branches and palm leaves, and with a roof of recycled corrugated metal. With over 300 students attending the school, seven students must share one desk due to inadequate space. Approximately 40% of the children in the community are not able to attend school at all. WE is excited to be working with the community of La Chanm and the local government to remove barriers to education. By implementing programming and increasing access to quality education, WE will work in partnership with community members to break the cycle of poverty in La Chanm.
Updates for the Education Pillar in La Chanm
Block by block, the walls are beginning to rise on new classrooms in La Chanm! Three new classrooms are now under construction and the town is buzzing with excitement to have increased access to education in their rural community. Bernier Pierre, a local father and resident of La Chanm, knows that with access to education, his kids will have the opportunity to dream big. “WE Charity has committed body and soul to the construction of the National School La Chanmn to allow us to hope for lawyers, engineers, doctors, teachers, nurses and mechanics for the well-being of our community,” he says.
While the construction of the classrooms slowed down during the rainy season due to the overflow of the river, the rain has been helpful for growing crops in the school garden! A harvest of eggplant, okra and spinach seeds was recently collected to help plant additional crops in the school garden. And tomatoes have been transplanted into the open field nursery in the community. Teachers are also benefitting from the garden, having each received fresh bananas as Christmas presents! Throughout each milestone and setback, the community of La Chanm has been so supportive of the new initiatives WE Villages has helped implement and are working hard to ensure their children have access to the opportunities their parents had always hoped for.