Tek4Kids

Tag: Travel Diaries

  • Working with Tek4Kids in Haiti

    Working with Tek4Kids in Haiti

    “I have worked in Haiti since 2014 and joined the staff of Tek4Kids in February of this year as a project manager. I have known Gary Boice for many years and loved hearing stories about what he has been doing in Jeremie, Haiti and the difference Tek4Kids is making here. I am honored and excited to be a part of Tek4Kids and to use my experiences in Haiti to further advance its mission.

    The people and connections I have made here are amazing. I love the heart everyone has for Jeremie and the will they have to make a difference not only in their own lives, but also in the community. In this short time, I have made some great friendships and have integrated well into the community.

    I hope my experience in Haiti, along with others, will continue to propel Tek4Kids forward as an organization. During my time here, I have been able to learn so much and work with some great people along the way. Some of my projects have included: camera installation and wifi access points in the Jeremie Enterprise and Technology building, set up for community meetings and programs, logistics and purchasing materials and a water purification schedule for our partner schools.

    I can honestly say that working with Tek4Kids here in Jeremie has reignited the fire I already had for Haiti. It has been a great experience and I look forward to what the future holds in our work together.”

    — Dustin Klink

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  • Another Boice Joins Tek4Kids in Haiti

    Another Boice Joins Tek4Kids in Haiti

    Working with Tek4Kids has become a family affair for the Boice family! Gary and Cathy Boice are its co-founders, while son Michael joined the team full-time last year to lead and coordinate all our technology efforts in Haiti.

    Recently, son Brooke traveled to Jeremie, Haiti to teach a Python class for third year students at St. Francis School of Technology, the certified technology school Tek4Kids began in 2015. Brooke lives in Boulder, CO with his wife and three children and is currently a Senior Advanced Services Architect in the Data Center ATG with Trace3.

    Brooke created a lab environment where everyone in the class had access to their own virtual machine to run Python, which is a high-level programming language used primarily for web and application development. During the class, Brooke presented brief segments of lecture, immediately followed by a lab to apply the lessons learned. He focused initially on the basic concepts of Python and the labs then challenged students to customize Python scripts that query live websites for weather data, based on location. Finally, the students built a basic Python web server.

    Brooke commented that he was surprised by the students’ level of engagement and noted that almost every student followed along and constantly asked questions. He said it was truly a pleasure to teach students who were so eager to learn!

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  • Volunteer’s Efforts Evolve as Tek4Kids Expands

    Volunteer’s Efforts Evolve as Tek4Kids Expands

    In the summer of 2014, I began volunteering with Tek4Kids. I read an article in the Catholic Record about a former classmate of mine at St. Xavier High School, Gary Boice, who was doing some notable work in Haiti. I was retired and had moved home to Louisville, looking for a new purpose during my retirement years. After seeing the article, I was excited about the possibility of volunteering with Tek4Kids.

    My first trip to Jeremie, Haiti was in November, 2014. I was not yet sure how I would utilize my skills and talent to help with the needs of the organization. When I arrived, Gary and his team were in the final stages of completing a water filtration system and pump house at an orphanage in the hills overlooking Jeremie. I did whatever was asked of me: running pvc pipe, wiring, carrying materials and handing tools to those who knew what they were doing. The work was more about construction than using my skills in technology, management and personnel development. However, it was so rewarding to see the difference we were making in this developing country. I was hooked and decided I would continue supporting Tek4Kids and helping the people in Haiti.

    Over the next three years I made about two trips per year to Jeremie. The work varied but was always rewarding. We built classrooms for the partner schools we supported. This required painting, some light carpentry, wiring classroom workstations, installing laptop computers and hanging overhead projectors. At the end of each day, we would be tired, hot, dirty and the cold showers back at the house where we lived actually felt good. Though the work differed, by the end of each trip the feeling was always the same: I was glad to return home but knew I had to return to Haiti. I was full of gratitude for the blessings I had, yet wondered why I had so many opportunities while the people in Haiti had so many challenges.

    Now in 2019, the Tek4Kids organization has grown from building water filtration systems and classrooms to teaching computer skills to Haitian children, supported by nine full-time teachers and maintenance personnel. Tek4Kids has opened a three-year technical school for high school graduates, now occupies a new building with eight classrooms and partners with an Information Technology business to supply jobs for our school graduates. Including the new business, the staff has grown to over 35. As a result, my role has changed.

    Now my experience and knowledge of business management and employee development are values I can contribute. Both Tek4Kids and TIC, the new for-profit company which was started to support our work in Jeremie, can benefit from what I have to offer. Although I didn’t mind helping with construction and more labor-intensive work, I now enjoy spending my time working with people.

    On this latest trip, I made presentations both to our different employee teams and the students in our technical school. The presentations covered the need for organization values, teamwork, accountability, professionalism, business ethics and other skills needed to be successful in the business world. I also spent time with our management team to train and mentor them on leadership skills, the importance of setting goals, communicating job responsibilities and measuring performance. I am working to develop some resource tools such as an employee handbook, discipline documentation, hiring guidelines and other HR processes that are currently needed. I participate in organization design discussions and planning for future growth.

    The work I am doing now has resulted in a new commitment to return to Jeremie every three months so I can be more involved in the development of our team there. I have also started working with another non-profit in Jeremie to help their staff with leadership skills. I am so thankful for the opportunity to assist Tek4Kids in its mission to improve the life of the people in Jeremie through education and technology. It is nothing short of amazing to see the growth and success I have witnessed in the five short years since I became involved in this worthy effort.

    — by Bob Glaser

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  • “You Will Always Be My Teacher”

    “You Will Always Be My Teacher”

    Teaching English in Haiti had never been on my life’s “to do” list, so I was still somewhat dazed to find myself seated on a small charter plane as it lifted off from the Port-au-Prince Airport and headed southwest over the Caribbean toward the small town of Jeremie. There, Tek4Kids had just opened St. Francis School of Technology and English was part of the curriculum. I had no idea what to expect, nor did the twenty-four students who faced me on that first day of class. This group of eighteen young men and six women, many of whom hardly daring to meet my eyes, had never been taught by an American before.

    Now, three years later, as I prepare to attend their graduation, we know each other well. I have seen them transformed into young professionals, and they have chosen me as the “godmother” of their class. There is an affection and loyalty between us that I have rarely experienced with students in the United States. As I end my years of teaching for Tek4Kids in Haiti, I am touched by the sincerity of the students who tell me, “Even though you are leaving, you will always be my teacher.” — Rose Yunker

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  • Tek4Kids Director Bridges Past with Present

    Tek4Kids Director Bridges Past with Present

    “I have been trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life since retiring after 22 years of service with the US Army. My kids are adults now and I am basically free to explore a new life. The answer to this dilemma came via a phone call from my friend Jeanne Hammond, whom I had not talked to in more than 10 years. Jeanne and I were parents at Sacred Heart Model school and it was a welcome phone call to catch up about our college-age kids and life in general.

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  • Making a Difference in Haiti

    Making a Difference in Haiti

    Bob Glaser, one of Tek4Kids newest volunteers, recently returned from a trip to Jeremie, Haiti where he experienced a very positive interaction with one of our students. As Bob made the 20 minute walk to our technology school, Beniel Joassaint approached him and introduced himself as one of the new students at St. Francis School of Technology. Beniel was polite and showed genuine interest in Bob and his volunteer work with Tek4Kids. When Bob asked about the new technology school, Beniel could not have been more positive, saying it was the best in Haiti! He said the classes were challenging and appropriate. Beniel also spoke highly of Rose Yunker’s English classes. Bob and his new young friend ended up walking and talking the entire way to the school. Bob later commented on this experience, “If this is an example of the young people we are educating at our school, we should be very proud . . . Jeremie will be better as a result of these students.”

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  • Volunteer Builds Relationships with T4K Staff in Jeremie

    Volunteer Builds Relationships with T4K Staff in Jeremie

    Eric Hoffman has been living and working with our Tek4Kids staff in Jeremie, Haiti since September and shares this account of his experience there:

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  • Reflections on My Time in Haiti by Cheryl Davis

    Reflections on My Time in Haiti by Cheryl Davis

    We booked our flight to Haiti one day before my sister was involved in a serious auto accident. My attention and energies were immediately focused on her and remained there until she was stabilized and making a good recovery several weeks later. By that time, Christmas preparations were in full swing as well as planning for an out-of-town family wedding to welcome in 2015. The few weeks remaining to prepare for our Tek4Kids staff trip to Haiti were a whirlwind of activity: purchasing supplies, clothing and medicines, handling routine home and work responsibilities and learning as much as I could about a new country and culture before traveling there.

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  • Impressions From My Trip to Haiti by Jessica Edelen

    Impressions From My Trip to Haiti by Jessica Edelen

    The little six-seater plane that flew us from Port au Prince to Jérémie turned out not to be as terrifying as I had built it up in my head to be. Roger was a skilled pilot and I had my rosary with me, as did Cathy. We couldn’t crash now, right? And we didn’t. In fact, the bumpy ride in the pickup truck to the Tek4Kids house was much more treacherous than the plane ride.

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