Tek4Kids

Category: Information about Haiti

  • 2021 Challenges and Victories

    Dear Tek4Kids Supporters,

    Thank you! We greatly appreciate the prayers and support from all of you. You are helping to make a difference in many lives and in our mission in Haiti. As 2021 is coming to a close, Haiti continues to struggle with multiple, unrelenting crises including on-going earthquakes, hurricanes, assassinations, gangs, and corruption. This state of unpredictability is having a major impact on Tek4Kids. We apply to many educational grants, and one recent response stated they would not consider donating funds to anyone in Haiti fearing the funds would not get utilized correctly. Please understand that everything donated to Tek4Kids goes directly to teaching and providing purified water to 2500 students. Despite the fears, payroll for our teachers, teams maintaining the solar and water purification systems, Smart Board teams, and other expenses have not diminished. This is not the time to stop giving, and we are not giving up!

    Please pray for our son, Michael, as he travels home for the holidays this week. As long as conditions in Haiti do not worsen, Michael and I plan to be back in Jérémie in early January. Travel is the most dangerous part of our efforts. The city of Jérémie and our building are still relatively safe compared to the rest of Haiti because the community and the police are working together. While uncertain of how long Jérémie will remain safe, Michael and I will continue to dedicate our lives to improving lives and providing opportunities in Jérémie, Haiti.

    Since 2009, Tek4Kids has equipped six schools with 12 computer/Smartboard classrooms with more than 350 Lenovo laptops and begun iPad/smartboard education in 2 high-schools and 6 elementary schools, serving nearly 2,000 students. We are proud of our Haitian educational and business teams.

    We believe that education is the most sustainable way to break poverty cycles. Through our educational programs, our entire Tek4Kids staff of 20 hopes to supply Haitian youth with tools to lift themselves out of economic hardship. Even more, we will to provide a foundation to impact the trajectory of future generations. Tek4Kids partners with existing schools so that our efforts can be used as blueprints for similar programs around the country; and we recently hosted a collaboration/training meeting for our partner school teachers in Jérémie. The technology we use in the classrooms, including laptops, iPads, and smartboards, gives the student access to whole new worlds of knowledge. By opening up research sources on the internet, providing learning software and educational apps, as well as teaching MS Office products and typing, we are not only enhancing critical thinking, but also greatly increasing employment prospects for students. The students we serve will develop skills required for employment in technology related fields.

    I cannot stress enough how much we need your support! Included below is a recap of our past and continuing efforts in Jérémie, Haiti. Please contact me if you would like more information or a presentation.

    Peace and Blessings,

    Gary A. Boice, OFS
    garyb@tek4kids.org
    502-693-3703

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    Cathy and I, along with our Haitian staff, are very excited about the difference Tek4Kids is making in Jérémie. Our efforts NOW benefit our students AND extend beyond to their families and future generations. Tek4Kids (T4K) is in a busy and transformative time. Our involvement in Haiti has evolved and greatly expanded both in scope and the number of students who benefit. Beginning with one water purification system, Tek4Kids now has nine partner schools with water purification, electricity and technology in most schools. We provide purified water to 2,500 students each school day.

    We currently have 14 teachers utilizing smartboards, iPads and laptops for most of the students in these schools. Using technology to prepare students for employment is our primary focus.

    In addition, our three-year technical school – St. Francis School of Technology (SFST) – has graduated three classes thus far. These students are trained in networking, Microsoft Server, programming, database, web design and other areas of study including English. Cathy and I started Technology Integrators Caribbean (TIC), a for profit company, in order to hire many of our students and to enhance job opportunities in Jérémie. Tek4Kids responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by distributing 676,000 gallons of purified water at six partner school locations around Jérémie, free of charge. Since residents do not have easy access to clean water for drinking and handwashing, this help was essential.

    The Tek4Kids Haiti office and SFST now occupy our new facility with 8 classrooms, office space and internet access. We have 50 Haitian teachers and staff members working from the building! This extra space has allowed us to expand our outreach to the community. T4K and TIC partnered to bring evening and weekend classes for business technology training, as well as robot construction and programming for schools.

               

    We invite you to learn more about Haiti and our work there. Please consider helping Tek4Kids financially at www.tek4kids.org/donate – 100% of your donation goes directly to our work in Haiti. We are making a difference!! Our students will advance Haiti toward a more prosperous future.

    Donate today! 

    ____________________________

     

    Begun in 2018, Technology Integrators Caribbean (TIC) is a for-profit business operating in both New Albany, Indiana and Jérémie, Haiti that will use its future profits to benefit Tek4Kids’ work in Jérémie. TIC currently employs several graduates of the St. Francis School of Technology to provide services such as Technology Consulting & Maintenance, Server and Networking Products and Consulting, Programming/ Databases/ Websites, Security, Energy, and Education Technology. Find out more at www.techincaribe.com.


    TIC recently updated the Hello, Jérémie! www.hellojeremie.ht. The site was created by website designers who occupy space in the new Jérémie Enterprise & Technology (JET) building to introduce the community of Jérémie as the technology center of Haiti it hopes to become. Please call or email me for more information or projects that we can handle for you. 502-693-3703.

  • Preparing for the Covid-19 Pandemic in Haiti

    Preparing for the Covid-19 Pandemic in Haiti

    Along with partners around the globe, Tek4Kids observed World Water Day on March 22nd amidst the growing covid-19 pandemic. The day highlights the importance of fresh, clean water and is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

    Tek4Kids is keenly aware of the importance of clean water during the current crisis. One of the primary ways to combat the spread of the virus is handwashing and not touching our faces with unwashed hands. But what about those with no access to purified water to wash their hands? What if there is no clean water to drink or to use for bathing? Certainly, Haiti’s population is more vulnerable and more likely to contract the virus and spread it without access to clean water.

    Recognizing the importance of distributing clean water in Jeremie, Haiti during the pandemic, Tek4Kids founder Gary Boice and his son, Michael, helped prepare for the crisis by setting up six water purification distribution centers that will provide purified water to many thousands of Jeremie residents. They hope this will significantly slow the spread of the virus. Having distributed thousands of gallons of clean water following Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Tek4Kids is well prepared to assist in this emergency.

    Tek4Kids has been in Jeremie since 2011 and works with more than 2,000 students in our partner schools by supporting them with purified water and education via laptops, iPads and smartboards. Tek4Kids also opened a three year technical school (St. Francis School of Technology) in 2015. Due to the pandemic, the government has closed schools nationwide, so Tek4Kids is now setting up its facilities to provide water to the Jeremie community. We currently have nearly 100,000 gallons of clean water ready to go and can purify 15,000-20,000 gallons per day afterwards (as long as water trucks are operating).

    The covid-19 virus has not yet come to Jeremie. Tek4Kids has been working with other organizations such as the Haitian Health Foundation to provide training and information to the community before the virus arrives. For more information about our work in Jeremie, Haiti and to donate to Tek4Kids, visit our website at www.tek4kids.org.

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  • 2018 Haiti Tech Summit

    2018 Haiti Tech Summit

    Lindsay Anderson, Gary Boice, Michael Boice, William Philippe and I participated in the 2018 Haiti Tech Summit held June 21-23 at Cote Des Arcadin, Haiti. It was one of the most positive events I have experienced in Haiti! Christine Souffrant Ntim, founder of the Haiti Tech Summit organization, also known as the Global Startup Ecosystem (GSE), opened the conference with the declaration that “Haiti is not open for business, it is open for disruption.” Her statement set the tone for the activities of the two-day summit. The Haiti Tech Summit is part of a 13-year initiative of the GSE. The goal of the summit is to help entrepreneurs in Haiti build businesses in their communities to support the development of a sustainable economy for their country. For the purpose of this discussion, I have learned to adopt “ecosystem” as the language for the business development environment. (more…)

  • Deforestation in Haiti

    Deforestation in Haiti

    Most kitchens in Haiti don’t offer the comfort of a stove, so charcoal is the most commonly used method for cooking. The immense demand for charcoal and exploitation during colonial times lead to extensive deforestation. This is not only having an immense impact on the ecological balance, but also causing soil erosion. The consequences are landslides and the loss of arable land. As a result, the destruction of Haiti’s natural forests is almost total, making the Caribbean country one of the most deforested in the world.

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  • Natural Hazards in Haiti

    Due to its geographical location, natural hazards like flooding, earthquakes, and droughts happen occasionally in Haiti. It also lies in a hurricane belt which causes severe storms in the summertime. These storms pose difficult challenges to the population, since huge parts of the agricultural harvest are frequently lost.

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  • Haitian Culture, Art and Music

    Haitian Culture, Art and Music

    Haiti is shaped by many different cultures, with African, French, Spanish, and American Indian influences. Haitian paintings are often characterized by vivid colors and the mystic stories, rituals, and gods of the voodoo religion. In addition to canvas paintings, metal art is often produced in Haiti.

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  • The Poverty Cycle in Haiti

    The picture below represents some of the fundamental dynamics in the Haitian cycle of poverty. As the image shows, Haiti’s stagnant economy is due to many factors. Taken together, they pose a daunting challenge for the Haitian government.

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  • Haitians’ Daily Struggles and Backgrounds

    Haitians’ Daily Struggles and Backgrounds

    Haiti’s economy is faced with many problems, such as access to reliable electricity and running water. Many streets in Haiti are not paved or in poor condition due to earthquakes or landslides. It often takes hours to travel short distances and mountain villages are usually completely cut off from traffic. Providing needed electricity for businesses is another obstacle. Power is often not available at all, or, like in Jeremie, only on a few hours per day. The same situation applies to running water.

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  • The Economy in Haiti

    The Economy in Haiti

    About 80% of Haitians live off less than two U.S. dollars (USD) per day. The unemployment rate is estimated at 40%. The agricultural sector accounts for the main source of income in Haiti, mainly in the form of small-scale subsistence farming.

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  • Haitian Living Conditions in Numbers

    Haitian Living Conditions in Numbers

    37% of Haitians (and 45% in rural areas) have no access to improved drinking water sources. Due to this lack of clean drinking water, the number of water-borne diseases in Haiti is very high.

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  • Demographics in Haiti

    Demographics in Haiti

    The total population in Haiti is estimated at 9,801,664 people (July 2012), which is slightly more than metropolitan Chicago. More than a third of the Haitian population is 14 years old or younger. If the birth rate stays at a comparable level, providing for the rapidly growing population will impose a huge challenge to Haiti. The life expectancy averages 62 years which means that Haitians die on average 16 years younger than US Americans.

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  • Geography of Haiti

    Geography of Haiti

    Haiti is located in Central America on an island called Hispaniola. The island is divided into the Dominican Republic in the East and Haiti in the West.

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