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 Link to spreadsheet for up to date results. Thank you furushotakeru.  Last year we sponsored little school, The Matènwa Community Center, in a tiny village in Haiti with huge ambitions. They want nothing else less than to revolutionize how all children in Haiti learn. Link to last year's thread. Read it if you are unfamiliar with the breakfast program, the organic garden, and how the community decides for itself how to promote sustainable development. Here's the Center as explained by its co-founders Chris Low and Abner Sauveur. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSuM1HR9OSA&hd=1  SERIOUSLY, WATCH THE VIDEO!    To quote what we said last year: Traditional education in Haiti is broken. The language of instruction is French, a language understood only by the elite 5% of the population, not Creole, the language used by nearly 100% of Haitians in their daily life. (French and Creole are not mutually intelligible.) Rules are strict, corporal punishment is routine, and education is entirely rooted in memorization and recitation, not understanding. The core of the Matènwa experiment is that instruction be done in Creole, that teachers do not hit the students, and students learn how to think, not just repeat the correct answer. The results speak for themselves! Parents who pulled their children from the school when it first opened wanted back in when they saw how their neighbor’s kids thrived. Today, almost two hundred forty students attend school in Matènwa. As Chris explains here to the BBC, it's literally apartheid through language. French's place as the language of instruction in Haiti is a primary reason why, according to Oxfam, Haiti is the third worst place in the world to get an education, after Somalia and Eritrea. There is a belief that Creole is somehow an inferior, incomplete, "not fully developed" language. Linguists disagree: it's recognized as a fully expressive language with a very rich tradition. Pictures of the new Creole language library and students learning about winter.    The first picture of the school is old. There are now thriving almond trees growing in front. 
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Dec 6, 2012 14:58
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 18:40 |
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 What were the results last year? Once everything was counted we were just shy of $100,000 when last year's thread was goldmined. But a number of us became sustaining donors, raising an additional $1700/mo. Including those, since last year, we raised $115,000!!! What did they do with this sum?
One year ago the plan to expand the model to the 11 other schools was already in place, but it was uncertain how they were going to pay for it. We came in at just the right time. Our support meant they didn't have to worry about day to day survival, but could instead concentrate on education and outreach. Their work was noticed. In April of this year All Children Reading, a collaboration of USAID, Worldvision, and AusAID gave a $300,000 grant to Matènwa's Mother Tongue Books to help them produce Creole Language materials and distribute them in these 11 schools. This was not all, in October the government of Qatar selected Matènwa as one of 7 schools in Haiti to receive their World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) award. (skip to page 20 and 21) Finally, a reading study is now underway with preliminary results showing that students at Matènwa are destroying students at both traditional Haitian schools and World Bank funded schools in both reading speed and comprehension. Look for more results early next year. What is left to be done not that the Matènwa community center is now being noticed by world governments? The answer is a lot. When an organization receives a grant, the money can only be used for specific objectives. The All Children Reading grant can only be used for educational materials. It can not be used for breakfast. Or to repair Hurricane Sandy damage.  That was a house 
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Dec 6, 2012 15:00
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We already exploded their budget once and because of that the Matènwa Community Center had its most successful year ever. If anyone ever needed proof that we can change the world by delaying the purchase of a video game or making your morning coffee instead of buying the fancy one, this is it. If you want to be especially thoughtful, please consider becoming a sustaining donor. The kids want to eat breakfast every day!  Note for international peoples: in the address section below, if your country isn't in the country drop-down, try leaving none selected. Your donation should go through fine. Please ask your employer if they do matching gifts. Pass along the following information: Beyond Borders P.O. Box 2132 Norristown, PA 19404 tel: (866) 424-8403 fax: (610) 277-5045 EIN: 23-2713126 Click Here to donate When Donating, Remember to Select Matènwa Community Center in the drop down menu  If you did it right, you will get this screen.  Then post to tell us about it. Also let us know about any other charities that you supported. Please post any suggestions, questions about the school or Haiti, and we will do our best to get you answers. Another way to give! If you have a hard to shop for aunt, grandmother, or sister, get her a hand made scarf. Order early for delivery before Christmas. Last year they sold out because of us. All work is done within the community, creating self sufficiency and a livelyhood. Plus they are really beautiful. 
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Dec 6, 2012 15:01
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  How do I sponsor an individual child?There is no way to trace an individual dollar to an individual child and charities that do this have much higher administrative costs. Can I send food/books/clothes instead of money?Unfortunately not. The school is not served by any postal system and the quality of the roads makes shipping difficult and expensive. Also all attempts are made to obtain as much as possible locally, which creates jobs and diversifies the local economy. Can I visit the school?The school welcomes visitors. Chris organizes a group trip every February during school vacation, and depending on interest may organize one in April. Unless you have specialized skills and can speak Haitian Creole, it is best to travel in a group when local transportation, host families, and translators are pre-arranged. Expect to pay about $2000 for airfare, local transportation and meals provided by a host family. Send me a private message if you are interested. What will my donation accomplish and what are their long term goals?$5 will buy enough food for a child to eat breakfast for an entire week. $30 will buy food and books for a child for a month $200 is a teachers monthly salary $360 will support one child for the entire year Their goal remains to change the way all schools in Haiti educate kids. They are 11 schools closer this year. Think what the cost of a dinner and a movie will do to one of those smiling kids in that picture. Where can I find more information?Matènwa Community Center website More pictures, monthly updates. Beyond Borders fiscal agent Mother Tongue Books Reflections of a traveler to the school Charity Navigator Highest possible 4 star rating 7 years in a row. From last year in response to the kid in back who was all "gansta" quote:The "gansta" in the back right is a boy who was brought up to our little village when he was a baby. His mom was a teenager from the port town of Ansagalets who didn't think she could raise him. I was visiting the US at the time. She came and said, " I have come to give Chris this baby." The family she encountered said, "Chris isn't here and I don't think she is going to take your baby. She doesn't run an orphanage." She responded, "Well then I guess I'll just have to leave him in the street somewhere." The family which includes several adult sisters then said, We will take him then. They breast fed him. Today, one of the sisters, Zaza, is an adult with 5 children. Her kids go to the Matènwa school, one has graduated already. Zaza put herself in the school a few years ago because she never got a chance at an elementary education. She is now in 5th grade. She is in the first two photos.
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Dec 6, 2012 15:02
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 Last year I signed up for $90/mo. I lost my debit card and one month didn't go through so I felt bad and bumped it to $100/mo. If you do become a sustaining donor, for smaller amounts, i.e. $15 or less, Visa and Mastercard will get less of a cut if you multiply by 3 and choose quarterly. If you have been a sustaining donor for an entire year, please tell us.
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Dec 6, 2012 15:03
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MeatloafCat posted:Just sent mine in. Will someone be keeping a running tally like last year? Yes, but people will need to tell us how much they gave.
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Dec 6, 2012 15:59
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Smiling Jack posted:All my budget ramen-noodle friends: For smaller monthly donations, it is better to select a quarterly schedule; less will be eaten up in credit card fees. But thank you for making the point that most of us are not going to miss $5/mo or $15/quarter.
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Dec 7, 2012 18:09
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furushotakeru posted:Like a loving month ago I sent Zeta an email asking if we are getting this going again for this year and he was still working on it, then I somehow miss this thread and message him again today for an update. Whoops Thanks! Last year they called you spreadsheet guy! 
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Dec 7, 2012 22:08
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MarsDragon posted:
Probably the easist way is to email Jonathan Haggard at Beyond Borders directly at jonathan@beyondborders.net Thank you everyone for believing in this. I am always astonished both by the bigger donations and the smaller ones. Even if you are making good money, it is so easy to get stuck in the day to day of your life and not think of others. I am especially touched when someone doesn't have a lot and a donation truly means giving something up.
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Dec 10, 2012 13:59
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To clarify, they are not eating paint! They are eating soup joumou. Joumou is the word for pumpkin. It also contains potatoes, onions, carrots and cabbage. The carrots and pumpkins give it the color. Haiti became the worlds first black republic in 1804 when they liberated themselves from France after a successful slave revolt. They became the first country in the western hemisphere to outlaw slavery. This soup was said to have given the men fighting for their freedom strength and endurance. Haitian Independence Day is January 1st and rich and poor all through the country will be making and eating this soup as the traditional meal.
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Dec 11, 2012 19:16
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axeil posted:Wow. That's a pretty neat piece of history, thanks for sharing! I sent you a PM
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Dec 11, 2012 19:42
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furushotakeru posted:I was out over the weekend, sorry. That's actually a pretty accurate mental picture.
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Dec 17, 2012 21:52
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Loving Life Partner posted:Spandex inspired me, and made me remember my employer's matching program. But I need the EID or Tax ID for the charity, as well as it's headquarters state. Beyond Borders P.O. Box 2132 Norristown, PA 19404 tel: (866) 424-8403 fax: (610) 277-5045 EIN: 23-2713126
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Dec 18, 2012 18:17
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Plague Rat posted:The woman I spoke to said that my scarves would probably ship this week, and would arrive a few days later. I do believe they're being shipped from Haiti. I wouldn't trust the reliability of anything shipped directly from Haiti. Fortunately they are being shipped from Wellfleet Massachusetts.
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Dec 19, 2012 05:37
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Dr Snofeld posted:Whoops, meant to donate my $30 to the centre but I think I donated it to the general fund my mistake. Hopefully that's still okay. Email Jonathan and he will fix it for you. Its not like your money would be wasted in the general fund, but they do greatly value our relationship even though they still don't quite get what we are. Email him and he will fix it. jonathan@beyondborders.net
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Dec 21, 2012 23:49
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Asterix85 posted:not to be a hater,ive done relief work in haiti while i was in the navy, but has anyone been to the school perchance? checked it out? i just dont want to feel like im being taken advantage of. ive donated money in the past to a native american reservation only to find out they were not building schools. ive read everything on the website and it sounds good, i just dont trust charities as far as i can throw em... I think you are right to be skeptical. Haiti is littered with half finished projects that sounded good at the time. I do know one of the co-founders personally. I have never been to the school myself but my boyfriend (who introduced me to Chris) has been there twice.
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Dec 24, 2012 19:15
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 An anonymous donor has made this morning's title update woefully obsolete.  $2,000 donation, $2,000 employer match. +$4,000!!!
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Dec 24, 2012 22:42
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Planet X posted:I donated! They were our charity in 2010 and 2007. They do great work through the world. They have a 3 star rating at Charity Navigator; they are pretty efficient at directing money to programs but not as good as Beyond Borders (4 stars), but still decent. They are about 90 times bigger and they are in a lot more countries than Matènwa. I don't think you would go wrong either way.
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Dec 25, 2012 16:30
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$44950.06 in one time donations with an average of $102.63, $3600 in employer matches, 438 separate donors. $1689.17 in monthly donations. Thank you guys!
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Jan 1, 2013 21:41
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 18:40 |
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The Lobster posted:While not as good as last year, that's still pretty impressive! Do they still have the $75K minimal funding thingie like last year? Whatever that was, where to do what they needed they were going to need $75K? Is it different this year? Their reach has expanded in the past year, so I’m not sure the amount that would be needed to cover bare bones expenses. I know it is now considerably higher than $75,000. As I said in the OP, it’s been a great year for them where they won a huge grant from USAID and got money from the government of Qatar. But our contributions continue to be valuable because our money can be used for anything. The USAID grant can only be used for education materials. That probably means none of our money will buy books and everything we contribute will be used for something like the breakfast program.
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Jan 2, 2013 15:21
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