Rezo Lekol Kreyol - Network of Kreyol Schools
Network of Kreyol is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished children and families in Haiti through,
Rezo Leykol Kreyol’s mission and model of education are essential to Haiti’s future. In Haiti, only 48% of the Haitian populate is literate and only 25% of teachers in Haiti have received any teacher training. More than 50% of Haiti’s population is under the age of 18, and without a free public education system. Half of school-aged children are not enrolled in school. Students whose families can afford to send them to school are mostly without access to quality education, and are taught in French, a language most students do not understand. Students are commonly made to memorize words and phrases without knowing their meanings and can be beaten for failing to memorize, asking questions, or even speaking their mother tongue Haitian Creole. Many students have come into the network’s program illiterate after several years in traditional Haitian schools.
Rezo Leykol Kreyol has become a proven model of success for what is possible in Haiti’s schools. The school’s approach and results demonstrate outstanding impact. There is an urgent need to expa
nd this model and approach to existing Haitian schools by creating a network of model teacher training and curriculum reform.
Here's What the School Will Do:
Rezo Lekol Kreyol will provide a progressive education, designed to propel young Haitians as actors of positive change. Teachers will use research-based methods and best practices to teach 120 Haitians ages nine to eighteen year old, using a hands-on and project-based method, all in the students primary language. We will create first-of-its kind partnerships and collaborate with other traditional Haitian schools to expand this educational framework. We will inspire other schools who wish to replicate our efforts and improve their students’ results through research-based methods and best practices that are grounded in Haitian tradition and culture.
Exactly What Would Your Dollars Provide?
$4,000.00 Provides schooling for 10 students
$2000.00 Provides schooling for 5 students
$500.00 Provides schooling and materials for one student
$200.00 Provides two Ipads for learning in the 21st century
$100.00 Provides hot meals for one student for the year
$60.00 Provides web hosting for three months
Any donation big or small will be appreciated
Why Invest in Rezo Lekol Kreyol?
What makes the network of Rezo Lekol Kreyol schools unique and successful is an emphasis on the student being active, engaging in projects and discussing issues, instead of copying the teacher in the rote memorization style common in most Haitian schools. Teachers do not use corporal punishment to discipline or motivate students, rather we engage students with ideas. By teaching in Haitian Creole, the language that students already understand, students can engage more deeply in critical thinking and the scientific method while acquiring literacy skills that make learning other languages easier. The curriculum emphasizes science and math education for sustainability through hands-on project-based learning and interdisciplinary lessons.
Rezo Lekol Kreyol provides free education and hot meals on a daily basis to over 120 nine to eighteen-year-olds, many of them orphans or from families without the financial resources to send their children to school.
Mission
The Rezo Lekol Kreyol provides a stimulating “lab school” experience in a respectful and safe environment, conducted in native Haitian Creole, and built upon a foundation of trusting relationships in a community of teachers and learners. We promote the optimal development of students from ages 6 to 18 through a project-based, emergent curriculum, in order to develop self-sufficient and self-empowering teaching/learning communities that will maximize the utilization and development of Haiti’s human and natural resources.
This lab school has demonstrated immediate and lasting impact, which must be expanded to existing Haitian schools by creating a network of model teacher training and curriculum reform.
The school is modeled after successful schools and programs with which members of the Rezo Lekol Kreyol were involved in the past, including the Cambridge Alternative Public School (CAPS), currently known as the Graham-Parks School in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Group School also in Cambridge where students were empowered to run the school; and the Greater Boston Regional Youth Council that developed youth leaders who addressed the divisive social issues that influenced their young lives.
Our Results
The high standards of this school are evident through our students’ success in Haiti’s national exams. In July 2013, after only three years of school at Rezo Lekol Kreyol, all students participating in Haiti’s 6th grade national exam passed! In 2015 all student participating in Haiti’s 9th grade national exams passed. Over four years we have a success rate of 90% passing on this exam. We do not rely solely on national exams as measure of students learning; students are evaluated based on projects, oral exams, and written exams.
Why did we start the school?
Daniel Laurent and his colleagues Jean Robert Louis and Joanes Gaston opened the school in the fall of 2010 after the earthquake of January 12th , 2010. Daniel and his colleagues were born in Haiti and moved to the States as adolescents. They returned to Haiti after the earthquake to help rebuild the nation. As a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a veteran teacher who has taught in Cambridge and New York City, Daniel focused on the needs of Haiti's children. Originally, Daniel's primary goal was to help bring normalcy back to the children’s lives. Daniel, Jean Robert, and Joanes set up a place for the local children to meet each day. Then, Daniel contacted friends Benjamin Greisinger and Mel king back in the States to help in their effort. Those friends continue to play a key role in sustaining the School and project in Haiti. The project is dedicated to building a new educational model focused on the teaching of science and mathematics in Haiti.
Our Impact
At Rezo Lekol Kreyol, things are different. Many teachers report experiencing a profound shift in their understanding of education after receiving their training here. One teacher said, “Here, you are supposed to look at students like they are smart and already know things.” Another teacher said he learned “to be a guide and not a master.” This approach has led to our student success and engagement.
One student said this about the school: “We are a country that’s majority young people and we are without support… if we could have schools like this we could change our country.”
This work can reverberate throughout Haiti for generations to come. We need your support.
Spread the Word!
Tax deductible donation will be processed through our 501 c3 fiscal partner, the South End Technology center Joyce A and James R. Reed Charitable trust, Inc. at 359 Columbus Avenue. Boston, Ma. 02116. You can also donate by sending a check directly to the Joyce A and James R. read Charitable trust,inc. 359 Columbus Avenue. Boston, Ma. 02116.Please indicate that the donation is for the network of Kreyol schools/ Rezo Lekol Kreyol to support the school (Lekol Antoine Thurel) in Haiti.
Even if you can’t contribute financially, you can make a big impact. Spreading the word to your friends and family makes you a light in these girls’ lives.
Thank you!
