EHE News
A week with the Haiti Empowerment Project
Evelyn Freeman conducts a workshop on children's literature for Haitian teachers, hosted by Trinite Chretienne School in November 2011.
Photo courtesy of Joanne Kistruck
12-1-11
Evelyn "Evie" Freeman (PhD '78 Education), dean emerita of the Ohio State Mansfield Campus and professor emerita of teaching and learning, is contributing to the College of Education and Human Ecology's international initiatives. She wrote about her recent experience of travelling to Haiti with Terri Teal Bucci, associate professor of mathematics education, Ohio State at Mansfield, and director of the Haiti Empowerment Project.
Dear fellow alumni and friends of the college,
I am so proud of the work being done by Ohio State faculty, staff, students and alumni in Ohio State's Haiti Empowerment Project. I was fortunate to travel to Haiti and contribute for a week with Terri Bucci and five others this November.
Haitian children attend school while living in a tent community in Croix-des-Bouquets.
Photo courtesy of Joanne Kistruck
In the five years since the project began, Terri has established strong partnerships with people in Croix-des-Bouquets, a city about eight miles northeast of Port-au-Prince. During the week in the city, we visited several schools that are unlike those in the United States.
One elementary school, a temporary structure that provides education to children living in a tent community, has no electricity or running water and very limited supplies. But it has dedicated staff members who are committed to the education of Haitian children and to collaborating with Ohio State.
We provided a day of professional development for teachers from nine different schools. One of the schools, Trinite Chretienne, hosted us, and women from the community prepared a delicious hot lunch for all the participants.
Terri Teal Bucci
To assist us with the workshop, we had amazing translators, fluent in English, French and Haitian Creole. I regretted that I was unable to speak Haitian Creole and could not communicate directly with the participants. But through the skill of my translator and nonverbal communication, I presented ways to share children's literature and created awareness of Haitian Creole children's books that are available locally.
The teachers were also pleased to learn that children's books are being published in the United States with a Haitian setting. I shared some of these books and the teachers provided me with valuable insights regarding the books' accuracy and authenticity.
During our visit, Terri and I met with representatives from three Haitian universities with which Ohio State hopes to develop memoranda of understanding to solidify our partnerships with them. These universities are all located in Port-au-Prince.
University Caraibe and University Episcopal sustained significant damage in the 2010 earthquake. I was inspired by the perseverance of faculty and administrators in their efforts to rebuild both the physical structures and academic programs and services. As a retired Ohio State administrator, I wondered if I would demonstrate the same courage and fortitude as my Haitian colleagues. The third university, University of Notre Dame, is affiliated with CREFI, a teacher preparation and development institute.
Later in the week, we taught a class for university students hosted by University Caraibe. Our only "technology" was a blackboard, and my translator was invaluable in assisting me with communication. Because electricity was quite limited, we needed to end the class before dark.
We also met with a Haitian children's book author with whom we are collaborating to translate KEEP BOOKS into Haitian Creole. KEEP BOOKS, a project housed in the College of Education and Human Ecology, are small books for beginning readers that children can keep after reading them in school.
With support from several grants, we have been able to translate 21 KEEP BOOK titles into Haitian Creole. The books are ready to be published, and distribution to Haitian schools is planned for March 2012. Because most Haitian children do not own any books, this project will encourage children to read in their homes.
As I reflect on my week's experience in Haiti, I learned that even amidst extreme poverty and devastation, people are resilient and hopeful and desire a promising life for themselves and their children. The children value education and, as children everywhere, they smile, laugh and view the world with wonder.
As indicated on the project's website, "The Haiti Empowerment Project brings together the intellectual and material resources of OSU and other U.S. faculty and graduate students with Haitian counterparts to assist in the development and implementation of culturally relevant professional training."
I invite you to learn more about the Haiti Empowerment Project. You can also follow the project on Twitter @EmpowerHaiti and view The Haiti Empowerment Project Facebook fan page. Watch a video feature about Terri's efforts to set up schools in Croix-des-Bouquets.
Note that in response to a request from Haitian educators, Trinite Chretienne, the school where we held our day of professional development for teachers, was selected by the Ohio State student chapter of the American Solar Energy Society to provide a solar panel system and lighting. The engineering students traveled to Haiti with Terri to install the system last March. You can view a video of them at work.
Evelyn B. Freeman, PhD '78
Special Assistant for International Projects, College of Education and Human Ecology
Dean Emerita, The Ohio State University Mansfield
Professor Emerita, School of Teaching and Learning
© 2011 The Ohio State University - College of Education and Human Ecology. All Rights Reserved.
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