Our Story

Tek4Kids was founded in 2011 by educators and engineers who traveled to Jérémie, Haiti, and saw firsthand how poverty and the digital divide was deepening existing inequalities. They returned with one mission - to improve the lives of students in Haiti.

How it began

In 2006, our founders arrived in Jérémie as part of a mission trip with Louisville, KY based Cathedral of the Assumption, led by Fr Bill Fitcheman. Witnessing the level of sickness and the adverse impact of unclean water stirred the hearts of the team and led to several successive visits and the first water purification system at St Terese Montessori School and Orphanage. That began what would become more than 80 trips to Haiti by founder, Gary Boice, over the past 20 years.

With safe drinking water in place, Gary's vision to bring technology to students in Jeremie bloomed. After establishing a partnership with a local school, he arrived with five refurbished laptops. Within weeks, students who had never touched a computer were learning to type, create documents, and explore the internet for the first time. That energy changed everything.

What started as a two-week initial visit became a multiyear commitment and a formal 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in the United States.

Growing the network

By 2010, Tek4Kids was operating in three partner schools and had launched its first teacher training program. By 2015, computer labs were running in five schools across Jérémie, reaching more than 2,000 students annually.

The 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti underscored the urgency of our work. While much of the country's infrastructure collapsed, our school-based labs kept running. Students continued to learn.

Where we are today

Today, Tek4Kids operates the St. Francis School of Technology with programs in both technology careers, as well as providing technology education for local teachers. Tek4 Kids continues to run purified water systems, provide solar power, internet access, and security systems in five original partner school, along with the computer labs and Interactive Projectors. Providing the partner school staff with education and curriculum ensures the teachers are digitally literate.