Our Vision – Tek4Kids

Strengthen Schools to Provide

an Environment Conducive to Learning

An integral feature of Tek4Kids’ partnerships with schools is that we provide purified water, reliable electricity, and security features to improve the quality of daily life for students and teachers in their learning environment. Having this infrastructure in place translates into an improved functioning of the schools and students experiencing better overall health, both of which are essential foundations for their academic success. Our filtration and chlorination systems provide residual disinfection, allowing students and staff to carry purified, safe water home to their families who often do not have the financial means to buy bottled drinking water. We purify a total of 8,500 gallons of water per week at our partner schools. Besides supporting the water purification systems and education efforts, the electrical infrastructure installed in the schools enhances school operation effectiveness by introducing electricity to office staff, allowing for the use of copiers and computers. It also provides light to selected classrooms in the evenings, opening up the possibility of night classes for working adults. In the event of natural disasters such as Hurricane Matthew, having this basic infrastructure and clean water already in place at the schools also provides an emergency grid for hundreds of families and makes their communities more resilient.

Equip the Youth with Knowledge

and Tools to Shape their Future

We believe education is the most effective tool to set in motion the sustainable elimination of poverty. Our programs, reaching more than 2000 students, are designed to provide access to the professional job market, to help the labor force become more efficient, and, most importantly, to equip the youth with the knowledge, critical thinking, and problem solving skills to shape the future of their society. A part of those educational efforts is the iPad initiative, which is often the first opportunity for children to see human organs or foreign countries. The great number of educational applications covers themes ranging from 3D underwater worlds to speech recognition software helping students perfect their pronunciation and quizzes educating them about the prevention of malaria. Our teachers load the iPads with profiles tailored to the need of each grade and subject and travel from school to school. This practice makes them a more cost-effective tool than shipping text books and models for all the grades and subjects we serve. In our computer classes, the students not only learn how to access to the vast amount of knowledge available online but also how to become proficient in typing and Microsoft Office programs. This skill set enables them to later fill well-paying positions at places like banks and hospitals, while also allowing these institutions to be more efficient through a labor force capable of using current technology. Furthermore, relief organizations have the option to hire locals for many positions they are typically forced to fill with foreign workers due to a lack of qualified Haitian candidates, which allows more of the salaries paid to circulate within the country. To multiply the effects of the equipment and know-how we build up, we share our equipment with the local secretary school and the nursing college and provide training for teachers at other schools to enhance their access to knowledge and materials, benefitting students throughout the city.

Initiate Structural Economic Change

in the Communities We Serve

With all our programs, we aim to provide sustainable tools for Haitians to become economically self-sufficient and develop their own vision for a more peaceful and prosperous society. St. Francis School of Technology, offering a college-level IT education, is a key step in this effort, as it diversifies the limited educational landscape for young adults and boosts a viable alternative to established trades. IT services, unlike traditional economic sectors such as manufacturing, do not require reliable infrastructure for transporting goods or large amounts of electricity, both of which are currently unavailable in most of Haiti. Equipped with stable, fast-speed internet connections and independent from the electrical grid through generators, St. Francis School of Technology offers tracks such as programming and database design, Microsoft Server training, and network design and management. Besides many practical modules enhancing job-specific skills, we also plan to provide extensive graduate support to help our alumni in starting their careers. Students at St. Francis School of Technology learn general business skills like accounting, gain insight into different sectors, and its affiliated start-up branch functions as an incubator to start businesses. In addition, we will reach out to international and domestic companies as well as train individuals specifically for the needs of firms showing interest in locating a department in Haiti. In the long run, we hope to help provide more well-paying jobs in the community, decrease migration to the capital as well as abroad, and improve the quality of life for the entire region.