July 22, 2009

A quick update on the 35 laptops project, a component of our 3-year Capacity Building program in Haiti.

7 of our Haitian colleagues have already received laptops and 5 more will in two weeks.

While the total on the Give Meaning website is about $3,500, the actual raised to-date is closer to $10,000. Hurray! You just can’t imagine how excited my Haitian colleagues and I (John Engle) are about getting them laptops so that they can be more effective as educators and community leaders. A giant THANKS to everyone who has contributed!

Paulaine Presandieu, one of the people participating in the Capacity Building program just spent a week with my wife and I. She’s picture above and in video (link below).  She talked about these laptops as she’s taking 2, one for her and her colleague, back to Haiti: “Getting access to a computer and internet in Haiti is not easy. There are little cyber cafes here and there but they’re normally packed full with people and the computers are in terrible condition. It’s common to have to wait in line to use a computer and then it can take an hour to successfully respond to a couple of emails. The computers have viruses and are old and have to be shut down and restarted etc. It gets so discouraging. Getting a good laptop like this is wonderful!”

Click here to view a 55 second video update with a number of the laptops pictured.

Our group of 40 (35 do not have a computer) convened for training and exchange in April and again in June. Click here for photo gallery. The energy and enthusiasm for this training is high and the laptops play an important part of this.

A very special thanks goes to Mark and Claire Dowds and Steve Walchek for spearheading fundraising for laptops. Let’s spread the word! Learn more and contribute at Give Meaning.

John Engle