October 2015 Update

October 2015

Dear friends of Matènwa,

At MCLC, we strive to provide a well-rounded education to all students in a collaborative environment. In this spirit, the music teachers, Mr. Pierre Richard and Mr. Dieuseul Jean, asked the preschoolers to choose the instruments they would like to play this academic year. These teachers recognize that giving children choices increases their motivation and determination to learn. We look forward to seeing their performances during school assemblies.

After the Hands to Hearts' 0-3 Development Training (Sponsored by Alliance For Children) our teachers realized how important it is to stimulate our youngest students' brains. In this photo, Preschoolers are discussing their eggplants while their teacher is recording their observations for them.

Expanding the Hen Program

In March 2014, we started a hen program at the school with the generous support of Greater Good. This has allowed us to include eggs in the school breakfast and lunch program, thus providing much-needed protein to our students. Ruthchina, one of our 9th graders, recently commented on the program’s success: “One thing that I noticed is that since I started to eat eggs regularly, I no longer have headaches. I use to have them frequently, but now I no longer do. It looks like I was not getting enough protein before.” To expand our efforts of improving nutrition in Matènwa, we are giving each student a local hen to take home. So far, we have distributed hens to the 9th through 11th graders, and will continue our distribution, going down a grade each week. Before each distribution, students are trained on how to care for their hens at home, and they will be reporting on their hens each week.

S is for Start: Rethinking Power in Matènwa

A few months ago, four MCLC staff received training in Beyond Border’s SASA! Rethinking Power program, which seeks to combat violence against women and girls and the resulting spread of HIV/AIDS. The team is now in the first of the four-phase implementation process in Matènwa. The Start phase involves learning about the community’s perceptions and beliefs about power and violence against women. In order to gather this information, the team has trained four other individuals to administer baseline assessment surveys and facilitate focus groups. In the near future, MCLC’s SASA! team will help implement the program in the communities of our school network and across Lagonav.

Training in the Institute of Learning

This year, MCLC is formalizing its training program by establishing an Institute of Learning, several senior staff members are now full time trainers. We can better respond to the increasing demand for training. We want to ensure a successful replication of our education model. In September, a new group of teachers from Macochon came for training. We also met with a staff from CARE, a humanitarian organization with several schools in Haiti. CARE recently expressed interest in having us train their teachers in Ansagalè and Pwentarakèt, Lagonav. and we are eager to engage the CARE teachers.

Samila Edmond, MCLC Direction Committee

Chris Low Executive, Director FOM