September 17, 2011

Haiti Partners’ special friends and partners, Jesse Engle and Scott Henderson, are inviting their special friends to come to Haiti with them. Below is their invitation. Haiti Partners is incredibly grateful to you, Jesse and Scott, for your partnership. Thank you for what you’ve already helped us accomplish in terms of impacting lives! We’re excited about what’s possible in our partnership with both of you and with your team as we work to help Haitians change Haiti through education.

A message from Jesse and Scott:

Haiti Trip – Social Business for Quality Education

We’re inviting a special group of friends and colleagues to join us on a trip to Haiti. You are someone we enjoy being around and think has an important perspective to contribute to our efforts. Our intent is to assemble a small, well-connected group of quality human beings to join us as we explore how we can help Haiti Partners and Grameen Creative Lab Haiti in their efforts to use social business to tackle the challenge of quality, accessible education.

Only 8% of Haiti’s schools are publicly-funded, leaving the rest to charge fees too expensive for many families.  As a result, nearly 50% of school-age children aren’t enrolled in school, and those who are often receive a poor education from teachers who lack adequate training and materials. While the government is working to make free, quality education available to all children, it will be many years before this goal is realized.  In the meantime, Haiti Partners (co-founded by John Engle) has teamed up with Grameen Creative Lab to pilot social businesses at seven Haitian schools that Haiti Partners supports. Click here to learn about their strategy financed by loans from SAP and Accenture, which will accomplish the following:

• Create additional revenue streams to help fund teachers’ salaries, staff development, supplies, and facilities, which will reduce their reliance on school fees and outside support.
• Develop a culture of entrepreneurism among administrators, teachers, students, and parents that will help create jobs and drive economic growth in their communities.

Our goal on this trip is to better understand this initiative with its challenges and opportunities, and explore ways that we can partner with Haiti Partners and GCL to support these efforts.

DATES

Arrive in Haiti: Thursday AM, November 17, 2011

Depart for US: Monday AM, November 21, 2011

ITINERARY WILL INCLUDE

• Visiting several partner schools; meeting with administrators, teachers, students and parents
• Spending time with staff of Grameen Creative Lab and meet with representatives of the Ministry of Education
• Meet with Richard Morse, special advisor to Haiti’s president, owner of the historic Oloffson Hotel and an important Haiti tweep.
• Going to performance of RAM (Richard A Morse band) at Oloffson Hotel
• Hiking in the beautiful mountains of Haiti
• Enjoying some wonderful Haitian cuisine, coffee, and rum
• Browsing Haitian art on streets, in boutiques and in a gallery
• Meet with Haitian business leader(s)

We will stay at home of John and Merline Engle (also known as the Bellevue Guesthouse), which is located in the mountains several miles south of Port au Prince. It’s a lovely setting tucked amongst the trees, with a beautiful view of the city. Some of us will sleep in the house and some of us will sleep in large tents equipped with beds and bedding.  Click here for documents about what to expect in Haiti, Haiti Partners philosophy and approach to hosting visitors, information about immunizations, an introduction to Haitian-Creole, etc.

We’re excited about this trip and look forward to you being a part of it!

Jesse Engle and Scott Henderson, Haiti Partners friends and partners