Waste Not, and Compost!

“The way that we use the compost at school is very amazing. We can see it by looking at the trees. The compost helps the trees to grow and the plants to give more produce. Composting keeps clean the place where we are living.”

—Jenna J., Louverture Cleary Twazyem (US 10th grade) Student

Yesterday was National Learn about Composting Day! To celebrate, here’s a look at composting on the Louverture Cleary School (LCS) campus. Because Haiti does not currently have a widespread municipal waste collection program, necessity really has been the mother of invention when it comes to taking care of campus trash. As a good steward of the earth, LCS has developed systems over the years for dealing with refuse.

If you are not an avid composter already, perhaps this update will inspire you to roll up your sleeves this spring and start a compost pile of your own!  

Composting 101—Courtesy of Louverture Cleary School! 

Step 1:  Collect food and yard waste.  

Every day, students, staff, and Volunteers place compostable food waste in designated containers to be taken to a large compost pile on campus. Common items include egg shells, fruit and vegetable peelings, and coffee grounds. During netwayaj (clean-up) each afternoon, the containers are emptied at the campus’s environmental center—an outdoor area set against a wall with divided storage for compost, recycling, metal, and materials to be burned.  

Louverture Cleary School students divide waste from their campus into categories, each to be handled responsibly. Above the compost pile are lyrics to an LCS original song, “Go, Go, Go Compost!”

Yard waste is also collected each day. Students and staff sweep the campus of any debris that may have fallen on walkways during the day. Piles of leaves, branches, palm fronds, and the occasional fallen mango or coconut not already snatched up by a student are carried in wheelbarrows to the compost pile.

Step 2:  Get Cozy with Your Compost. 

Taking good care of a large community compost pile means feeling comfortable with stepping right into it. Five days a week, a handful of LCS students take pitchforks and turn the compost—flipping it from one side of a cinder block divider to another—taking note of texture, smell, and sections that may be ready for removal.  

Louverture Cleary School (LCS) students sift through the compost pile for usable soil. Many students enjoy taking care of LCS’s on-campus gardens.

Step 3:  Put Good Dirt to Good Use!

Students and Volunteers then sift compost material to divide raw materials from composted soil. Raw materials remain in the pile while the fresh, nutrient-rich compost is divided and spread to beds and gardens around campus. Voila!  

Alumni Profile—Jesula T. (LCS ’07)

Louverture Cleary School graduate Jesula T. ('07) takes a moment to greet Jimi Grondin (THP Volunteer Alum '01-'02) during a recent tour of Plastech Solutions S.A. in Haiti.

With graduation season now upon us, here’s a look at a Louverture Cleary School graduate who is living the school motto: 

What you receive for free, you must give for free.—Matthew 10:8  

"Living together in community as a family" was Jesula T.’s favorite thing as a Louverture Cleary School (LCS) student, she recently explained in an upcoming article for the Haitian Project News. Just as service to one another is an important part of family life, it is also an important part of life on the LCS campus. Because students live at LCS Monday through Friday every week, there are plenty of opportunities to serve. While at LCS, Jessula was a dedicated participant in Ekòl Ankourajman (School of Encouragement), an after-school literacy program run by LCS students for children in the school’s neighborhood. 

Today, Jessula is employed by Plastech Solutions S.A., a Haitian company that manufactures custom-made plastic products in an eco-friendly and socially-responsible way. Jessula manages daily product deliveries to customers and continues to be a person of strong dedication—a skill she honed at LCS. She notes, “Since the day I was selected, I have been doing my best to work as a part of the team and to help the company reach its goals.”  

Jessula was first hired by Plastech Solutions after she had the opportunity to meet its general manager through an appointment secured through LCS’s Office of External Affairs (OEA). The OEA is responsible for providing support to LCS graduates for scholarships to Haitian universities and employment. Jessula turned to the OEA after finishing her university degree in management. She’s now been working for Plastech Solutions for ten years.  

Although still fairly young in her career, she is reflective on the opportunities she’s had as an LCS graduate and her desire for these same opportunities to be available to others. She says, “I hope that I can make a difference in Haiti. In a country where many women are mistreated, I especially want to help girls and women be strong, independent leaders and be proud of who they are and what they can accomplish.”

Happy Haitian Heritage Month!

Enjoy this video featuring one of our Rhéto (U.S. 12th grade) students sharing her thoughts on Haitian culture.

May is Haitian Heritage Month, a time to celebrate Haitian historical and cultural traditions and to honor the unique history, language, and community of Haiti and Haitian-Americans. On behalf of the students, faculty, staff, and volunteers of Louverture Cleary School, The Haitian Project wishes you a Happy Haitian Heritage Month!

The Haitian Project plans to celebrate all month long on social media—follow us on Twitter and sign up for our Community Updates to learn more about what makes Haiti and Louverture Cleary School so special!

Education Works! Donate to support education in Haiti today!

April 2019 Newsletter

Stèphanie V. (‘12) and Djim G. (’14) assist alumni in the newly-named Frank and Jill Dulcich Center for Career Advancement.

The April 2019 edition of Haitian Project News is here! CLICK HERE to see what we’ve been up to.

Holy Week Reflection from Fr. Jordan Kelly, O.P.

Students enact Shadow Stations of the Cross annually during Holy Week for the Louverture Cleary School Santo 5 community as an expression of faith during the Lenten season.

You may lead us to where you call… these are the final words from the Prayer after Communion for Palm Sunday. Although I had read them in preparation for celebrating Mass, I was especially struck by these words as I prayed them during the Masses of Palm Sunday. In fact, I was so moved by them I included these words in my remarks to the congregation during the announcements after Communion!

You may lead us to where you call… where does the Lord lead us this Holy Week? In the midst of a broken world, Christ leads us to be His hands and feet as we strive to be agents of unity rather than division. This week, as we hear the story of our salvation in Christ, He calls us to embrace our Faith in a completely new way and to live our Faith without compromise. 

When do we compromise our Faith?

We compromise our Faith each time we fail to see Christ in our brothers and sisters who are different from us; we compromise our Faith when we allow the false gods of consumerism to block our charity and care for the poor; we compromise our Faith whenever we choose to live in resentment and anger, rather than embracing the freedom of forgiveness and letting go; we compromise our Faith each time the almighty “ME” comes before God and the other. We compromise our Faith each time we fail to pray because “we are just too busy.”

This Holy Week, may we not only be led by Christ to the fullness of His call for each one of us, but even more, may we accept His invitation to lead us now, and ultimately, to the eternal Easter in the Kingdom of God!

Fr. Jordan Kelly, O.P. is a Dominican Friar of the Province of Saint Joseph and pastor at the Church of St. Sebastian in Providence, RI.  

Mission Schools Still Matter

The Economist delivered a bit of good news in a February 21, 2019 article titled, “The Geography of Education in Africa—Why Mission Schools Still Matter.” The article explains new findings on the effect of geography on educational outcomes in Africa. While the education level of their parents is the strongest predictor of children’s educational achievement, the chart below shows that other geographical factors play a part, too. 

In particular, living near a Catholic mission improves children’s chances of becoming better educated than their parents. 

The Haitian Project (THP) community has always believed that Catholic education across the globe makes for a better world. Please consider supporting THP’s efforts to expand Catholic education in Haiti.  

TOP Five Reasons to Support The Haitian Project this Lent

(Or any time of year!)

1.  THP is an authentically Catholic mission. As an Association of Lay Faithful through the Diocese of Providence, RI, THP is recognized as having a specific charism (a unique spiritual identity) within the larger mission of our Church. THP uses the principles of Catholic Social Teaching to guide its community and work.

2.  Education is the first social outreach of the Church. Education is how we instruct others in the faith, invite those on the “outskirts” into community, and develop God-given talents to be shared for the good of others and for the benefit of society.

3.  Community is the means by which THP works and finds its success, both in Haiti and in the U.S. This is why THP desires to be physically present in your local community. Together, we strengthen our Church.

4.  The Louverture Cleary Schools Network is an UPSTREAM solution to poverty. After nearly three decades of providing quality secondary education in Haiti, THP recognizes that education is a game changer in Haiti. Education is not only transformative for the individual, it is the best way to address chronic challenges with rule of law, poverty, health, and environmental degradation.

5.  THP is about conversion. We work for change in the world and in ourselves. From THP’s Charism Statement:

…we have discovered that work done voluntarily for the benefit of others is a powerful, grace-filled catalyst for personal metanoia and environmental change. The success of our labor not only increases our sense of personal dignity and transforms the world around us, but it also deepens our trust in God and our willingness to serve.

To bring The Haitian Project to your parish or school, contact us at 401-351-3624 or email [email protected]. 

Celebrating Kreyòl!

Yesterday, the UN celebrated French Language Day—one of several efforts to promote multilingualism. Today, The Haitian Project brings you a Community Update written by first-year Volunteer and 2018 University of Dallas graduate Abigail Knapp about how Louverture Cleary School (LCS) students practice and celebrate four languages throughout their school week.

Volunteer Abigail Knapp with Louverture Cleary School Sizyem (US 7th grade) students.

On Sunday afternoon at LCS outside of Port-au-Prince, students can be heard excitedly chattering as they return from the weekend at home. Each day of the school week has a designated spoken language: English, Spanish, or French. On Sunday, the students speak Kreyòl. 

Kreyòl is the familial language of Haiti. Conversations about family, politics and sports are almost always in  Kreyòl! Vocally, French and Kreyòl sound somewhat similar; however, the two languages' spelling and grammar differ. Kreyòl has a rich history. It has developed naturally over the course of Haiti's history—it is very much a living language. Originally, it was mostly an oral language. At the end of the 20th century, it acquired an official written form. 

Louverturians have great pride in their native language, which is part of the school’s language curriculum. This gives the students a greater understanding of the roots and history of their language.

LCS Staff Member and Kreyòl teacher Myriam Jean-Baptiste (LCS ’10) emphasizes the importance of Kreyòl class so that the students “understand not only the spoken word but the grammar, the style, the history, especially learning the best way to write in Kreyòl.” 

The LCS community celebrates their language and culture through the annual “Kreyòl Day” celebration on October 28th, and the knowledge the students gain from their Kreyòl classes gives the day a greater meaning. Reflecting on the importance of the day filled with singing, dancing and recitations, all in Kreyòl, LCS Dean of Students Obed G. (LCS ’09) notes:

The culture of a nation is related to its language, you cannot take that apart. The students are able to better know the country, and by that, better know themselves.

Love of language goes beyond Kreyòl, as the students learn to fluently speak three other languages. From Sizyem (US 7th grade) to Philo (US 12th grade +1), Louverturians take seven years of four languages. The “language of the day” program requires students to speak the day’s language from breakfast to between classes and throughout afternoon play hour and evening study hour. 

Additionally, Rhéto (US 12th grade) and Philo (US 12th grade +1) students have started clubs for the younger children to practice. Volunteers reward students who practice their languages with tickets for the Language Store, which is especially popular among the younger students. As head of the Language Store this year, I can personally attest that students are most eager to practice English for tickets at anytime. They come to the store with their earnings, ready to purchase pens, paper, notebooks, or other odds and ends.

Philo (US 12th grade +1) student Brenel C. reflects that the LCS Language Program is one of the best in Haiti:

It is not easy, but it is an efficient method to learn the language. It is totally different than other schools, where the teacher just comes but they don’t practice beyond the classroom. We learn the languages proficiently. This will serve us later in our careers and life.

Educating a Nation

Louverture Cleary School Director of Operations Esther P. (LCS '02)

On International Women’s Day (and Every Day), THP Honors the Gift of Womanhood for Our World

by Esther P. (LCS '02), Director of Operations, Louverture Cleary School

Increasing the female enrollment at Louverture Cleary School is one of the best decisions we could ever take as an institution that has the mission to build a better Haiti. Education benefits our young women because education brings self-confidence. When a girl has self-confidence, she will have the ability to make good decisions in any aspect of her life. 

Educating women benefits families. With an education, a woman has what she needs to deal with poverty. Educated women are better equipped to choose their careers—careers of which their families can be proud. Educated women are role models for their children and make their families stronger and stronger for generations. 

Someone once told me, “Educating a girl is educating a nation.” 

An educated nation will definitely "grow up." One of the most important keys to ending poverty in Haiti is to educate its women. Educating women at a young age will make any positive change in Haiti more effective.

There is a common expression in Haiti that women are the “poto mitan.” This means that women are the central column or pillar of support that holds up the whole structure. Educating women strengthens society at its core.  

Why Haiti, Why Now

By THP President Deacon Patrick Moynihan

People often ask me, "Why Haiti, why now?" when I share The Haitian Project’s plans to build a national network of secondary schools in Haiti based on our very successful school outside of Port-au-Prince.

The answer is that, in Haiti, a project of this scale is both immensely possible and immensely necessary.

It is immensely possible because of the close proximity to the U.S. and Haiti’s position within a region of highly functional, democratic capitalist states. Additionally, there are no ideological impediments within the country itself. The people of Haiti want economic growth and integration into the regional economy. Finally, given the relative size of the country and its economy, a project of this level is actually large enough to be a catalyst for broader systemic change and transformation.

It is immensely necessary because the amount of money it takes to change Haiti is infinitesimally small compared to the waste and damage that can occur if Haiti fails to emerge as a successful nation. And, without a doubt, Haiti is the origin of everything we now know as America. Haiti deserves the opportunity to regain its footing and live up to its historic importance as the birthplace of the Western Hemisphere.

An Ash Wednesday Reflection

An Ash Wednesday Reflection

from Christina Moynihan, THP Director of Community Development

Through the wisdom of the Church we have been given 40 days during our liturgical calendar to open our hearts and our souls to the resurrection of our Lord. These 40 days of Lent are modeled after Christ’s respite in the desert (Matthew 4). We prepare by praying more, fasting, confessing, serving and giving to others (almsgiving). 

When my family and I were living in Haiti, I found it easier to live a Christian life. We never needed anything. Of course, my children wanted this and that; but, in reality, all we needed was each other and the other basics that our Louverture Cleary School community provided, like friendship, shelter and food. We would walk out the front door and see a need, improvise a solution, and fill the need to the best of our capabilities.

I prayed all of the time—sometimes with great verbal exasperation: “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I need you. Where are you?” 

Scalabrini Fathers Joseph and Isaiah were my confessors and only a car ride away at a local seminary. We fasted quite often, mostly out of necessity because groceries are expensive and there’s not much variety. And with all of the many distractions out of the way, we could focus on Christ in others. God put His daily objectives for each of us right before our eyes. Our Christian duty was clear.

The irony of Lent is that we need to create Heaven here on earth while living in a “Son-lit” desert. Awake, O Sleeper, and Christ will give you light-direction (Ephesians 5:14). We are set apart (Matthew 5:13) and meant to spread His fragrance in this world (2 Corinthians 2:15). We are created to be His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Nothing of this world can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38); but it is time to come back to Him with all our hearts (Hosea 14:1, Joel 2:12) and share ourselves with Him.

This Lent, take some time to accompany Christ in the desert and experience its rejuvenation. Remember…we are created to be in the world but not of it (John 17:14).