Before we start the new school year, here's a look back!

This year we started with a team retreat identifying our challenges and goals, and our Summits family grew with the indispensable addition of Hanna Atwood and Carolyn Mellin, working extraordinarily on our development side. Although Hanna is based in Boston, she is always up for a hike with the team to one of our faraway school communities in the Central Plateau. And Carolyn takes such individual care and attention to each one of our educators, founders and students so that she can bring their stories back to the United States.

The previous summer we partnered with Girls Voices to provide an intensive media workshop for seven girls from our community in Savanne Longue. Each produced a short documentary on topics ranging from girls soccer to sugar cane.

Out of 300 girls and 14 countries worldwide, all seven of our girls were nominated and Nellie won the changemaker contest for her short documentary on building a road in her community. Since then she has put some of her proceeds toward the implementation of a women’s hygiene program in her school.

The girls showcased their videos in Port-au-Prince at Université Quisqueya, and had a small premiere in their community during the winter party at school!

At the beginning of the year our goal was to focus on literacy. We opened up two libraries: one on our central campus in Mirebalais, and the other in the Summits’ school of Domond.

With the help of Sara Mansbach and PIHL we were able to stock the library in Domond with books for the kids and surrounding community. With Odette Charreyron, Summits’ Library Specialist, and Renel Ulysse and Jasmine Celeste, two of our library facilitators, we’ve also been in the process of installing mobile community libraries in all 40 of our schools.

Mary’s Meals has been feeding 26 of our schools, meeting our goal of all 40 of ours schools being accompanied with a food program.

Not only has Mary’s Meals been providing our students with a hot meal, but Scottish actor, Gerard Butler, visited the Summits school atop Morne Mouton to see how the program was serving the community. We got to know Gerry well, and it remains a top highlight of our year.

Ripples of Hope kicked off the recommencement of groups coming to visit us in Haiti to take a deeper dive into the work we are doing in our schools in communities, and enjoy the beauty of Haitian culture.

Together we visited the Summits school in Savanne Longue as well as in Mirebalais. We also enjoyed a trip to Saut d’Eau, a beautiful waterfall in the heart of the Central Plateau that attracts both Catholic and Voodoo pilgrims every July.

At the start of the year, 250 educators graduated from the program with certificates in hand from the MENFP and Université Quisqueya.

For the past two years, Innoved-UniQ has been providing our team of 350 educators and supervisors with training to improve the quality of education we are providing our students. Positive discipline, decolonization of the education system in Haiti, an emphasis on mother tongue instruction, training on lesson planning and developing critical thinking skills, and popular morning circle activities to engage our students is at the core of their professional development curriculum and support to our network.

Kore Foundation has been a loyal partner of ours. They’ve provided 8,000 eggs to 8 of our schools ensuring that Summits students start the day with protein so that they’re ready to take on a day of learning!

They work with many of our surrounding communities and their families in the Central Plateau to create a sustainable income producing chicken farms and eggs with training and support. That way more families have the means to feed their children and send them to school

We went all out for Fèt Drapo. We brought students from across our network of 40 schools to celebrate Flag Day. Despite the unrest that has been a cause for disruption for many national holidays, we were so happy that we were all able to celebrate Haitian pride on such an occasion. It made it extra special.

There was school pride and dance offs, a bounce house and ice fresco. Acting and poetry reading and a fire swallower, all in the name of holding that Haitian flag high and with positive eyes toward the future.

Reforestation is a must in our communities. That’s why with our partner, Accesso, we provided seedlings of various kinds of trees to plant in our schools with our students.

They were kind enough to provide training and teach our students the importance of caring for the environment. If we’re going to make the lasting changes in our communities that we know is possible, it’s together.

Sometimes it can be hard to see the changes made in the educational sector. But we’ve formed incredible partnerships and been witness to so much transformation across all 40 of our communities and in all 10,000 of our students. Test results of our 6th grades show an increase from 65 percent to 78 percent, with 13 of our schools achieving a 100 percent passing rate! That’s a 13 percent increase!

Because of support from you we have been able to stay focused on our mission to provide a quality and holistic education. The school year of 2019/2020 can only go up from here. Ann ale!

In the midst of round 2 with Girls’ Voices!

Last year was such a great success partnering with Girls Voices to hold summer media workshops in the community of Savanne Longue that we couldn’t wait to get back into our communities to work with budding young female creatives!

Prinicpal Marie-Claude of Savanne Longue is one of only two woman principals in our network. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and holds after-school motivational and safe space sessions with young girls. She wants to see girls inspire and change their communities, and she knows that starts with education and supporting women. #womensupportingwomen

Seven Summits girls who had just graduated 6th grade participated in the summer workshop program, learning how to take photos and make short videos. Each class started and ended with sharing: curiosities, challenges, triumphs, all in the notion that every one of our voices matters.

Top left to right: Andjilove, Ruthloveny, Viergnelie, Berlanda, Joubencat, Lomene and Principal Marie-Claude [missing: Yolenie]

Nellie holds her portrait, and was the winner of the changemaker competition for her short documentary on building a road in her community.

Photo by Ruthloveny.

Photo by Berlanda.

Photo by Joubencat.

Yolenie, Andjilove, Lomene, Ruthloveny, Viergnelie, Berlanda, and Joubencat each produced a short video that entered a competition between 300 girls and 14 countries worldwide. All 7 made it as finalists, and Viergnelie, or Nellie as she’s known to us, won the changemaker contest for her video focusing on building a road in her community to help children have greater access to school, and expecting mothers to hospitals. Their videos ranged from a sugarcane business to girl’s soccer, and each were offered scholarships that went toward their education.

Nellie put some of her reward money toward implementing a women’s hygiene program in our school.

This year we find ourselves reaching into one of our more isolated communities, about one hour off a rocky road and away from the nearest town of Lascahobas in the small community of Petit Fond. In addition to still working on growing the skills of the girls from last year in Savanne Longue we chose another five girls, Ketia, Miskenda, Djamsonia, Christine, and Edline to participate. We couldn’t be more excited to see what they come up with so that even more girls in Haiti have the opportunity for their stories to be given the weight they deserve, and to find the voice within to tell them. Keep an eye on us, because n ap vanse!

One of our star pupils, Vanessa.

She’s in fourth grade. And already knows she wants to be a teacher.

Vanessa is a curious and bright 10-year-old from the community of Savanne Longue, a small community about an hour drive from the town of Mirebalais in the Central Plateau that attracts students from deep in the sugar cane fields. Even with an absent father and a single mother who struggles to find work, she’s always first in class at the Summits’ school.

Always eager to get her hands on a book, she can often be seen running after Principal Marie-Claude to practice additional reading exercises. Vanessa tells us that Creole is her favorite subject. When asked why, her answer was simple: because it’s my mother tongue.

We’re not surprised that Vanessa noted Marie-Claude as her role model and inspiration to one day teach kids in her community. Women are the building blocks of a strong foundation, and we are witness to the power educated women have on raising up entire communities. Keep your ears open folks, Vanessa is going places. We’re sure of it.

Want to support us in providing a quality education to 10,000 students like Vanessa across our network of 40 schools in the Central Plateau of Haiti?

Consider donating: www.summits.org/donate.

Changemaker: Jessika, The Diplomat

The roosters make their morning call and Jessika is awake, sweeping the front yard, washing the dishes. Sometimes she will help her mother make breakfast for her younger brother and sister. Everything Jessika does is with purpose, her words too.

“If there was one thing I could change,” Jessika says as she moves about the yard. “It would be the environment. I don’t think it’s clean, and it’s our responsibility to take care of it.”

Across a grand river, and nearby the city of Lascahobas, there are five Summits schools along a long stretch of unpaved, dirt road. In one of those five, Jessika is in the 5th grade in the community of Roche La Pierre.

When Jessika is finished with her morning chores, she brushes her hair. She dresses for school and speaks of how much she loves group activities in class. Her favorite subject is French.

“I want to be a diplomat,” Jessika flashes a quick smile, and then looks down abashedly. “To better communicate.”

In class, Jessika has the air of someone who keeps mostly to herself. But she is surrounded by friends, leading group activities and making sure everyone is on the same page. When a question arises that no one is able to answer, it’s Jessika who is the first to raise her hand.

“I love my mother and father,” she says, flipping through her French book at recess. “They’ve been my example of good communicators. They never treat their neighbors bad.”

Her family had lived in Lascahobas before moving to the countryside. Lascahobas is less than an hour from the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It was there, from a teacher in the school she was attending, that she first learned about diplomatic relations.

Whether or not they finish primary school, many kids will leave the country to migrate to the Dominican Republic. They have hopes of a better education, and more possibilities of finding a job. However, the relationship between the two countries is not so simple; and the situation for many Haitians immigrating to the Dominican Republic is not so easy. With such a complicated history between the two, it’s with communication that the answer can begin to be articulated. Some evenings, Jessika sits with her father and listens to the news happening around the country.

“If I can be a diplomat,” Jessika says coolly. “Maybe I can help heal the communication between others.”

Girls in Haiti on average drop out at age 7, but there’s the potential of transforming an entire community by educating just one girl.

“I consider girls in the society like flowers,” she says. “The world wouldn’t be beautiful if there weren’t women, because we are the heads of our communities.”

This is what we know at Summits: With an education, young girls like Jessika can be the next changemakers.

Katiana, Daughter of Vodou

A small creek and a field with tall grass but separates Katiana’s house from the Summits school in Guindette-Sarazin. Behind her house is a grove of banana trees, her father has just planted cassava and plantains. It’s the rainy season, and there are many mosquitos here.

In a second wooden house, much like the one where she and her younger sister sleep but bigger, her father is finishing with a client. When the client walks out, he has a list of things to buy, and what to do with them to make sure what he asked for happens. When Katiana’s father walks out, he slurs a bit of his words while reminding the client what to do, and when to come back. He’s been drinking Kleren, a pure alcohol made from sugar cane.

On Nov. 1 and 2 of last week, Haiti celebrated Fèt Gede, gathering at cemeteries to pay tribute to their ancestors. It was busy at Katiana’s house, with clients in and out, and a big celebration for the occasion. Dancing to twoubadou, dressed in white and purple, the skull of one passed before held over the palms of the living.

Katiana is the daughter of the community Vodou priest. He is also a farmer. Her mother sells produce from their garden in the market. But Katiana, a 6th grader in the Summits school of Guindette-Sarazin, has hopes of being an engineer so that she can “build houses for [her] parents, and [her] community.”

In Katiana’s family, death is another lwa or spirit, a door that marks our passage in life. But even while overcome by Spirit, Katiana’s father talks mostly of his love for his daughter. His tone is impassioned. It’s a dream that doesn’t necessarily rely on Rasin Ginen: the hope that she receives an education, so that she can become what wants to speak through her.

Summits Awarded $2 Million Grant

Today, we’re excited to announce that the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded Summits a two-year $2 million grant to expand our Whole Child Approach throughout our 40 primary schools. This incredible investment will allow us to significantly raise the level of education available to some of the world’s poorest, and most promising students.

We launched Summits highlighting the power of teachers. Through teacher and supervisor training, we sought to equip our educators with the tools they need to create vibrant, instructive classrooms where students are able to learn. The next phase for Summits is the implementation of our Whole Child approach. This approach addresses the many dimensions of a child, ensuring that they are able to flourish in both school and life. 

To implement this new initiative, Summits will upgrade learning environments, continue to invest in teacher training, and initiate new programs to that ensure each student is healthy, safe, engaged, challenged, and supported. 

This grant will enable us to:

• Hire full-time nurses to bring school-based preventative care + non-emergency medical attention to Summits students.
• Build new kitchens in nine schools, paving the way for over 2,000 students to receive a nutritious meal every day.  
• Transform preschool classrooms with new learning materials, equipment, and 30 trained teaching staff to better engage students at the start of their education. 
• Provide new textbooks for 3,000 students in grades three through eight. 
• Expand 10 schools to include grades seven through nine, enabling 1,000 students a year to remain in school. This means building 30 additional classrooms and hiring 30 additional teachers.
• Fund a second year of intensive teacher training for our 350 Summits educators with our partners InnovED-UniQ.
• Launch high functioning school councils to bring together all school constituents, including students, teachers, and community members, for reflection, advocacy, planning, and decision making at the school house level.

Thank you for helping us saying yes to the possibilities that exist in every child. We're proud and excited to stand with the Kellogg Foundation, our partners, and with each of you to continue to deliver high-quality education to the world’s most vulnerable children. 

Meet Richard: A Letter from Marie Flore

My friends, 

This time of year, and always, I am grateful for you -- those who make our work possible. Let me share a story about the impact of your support.  

One of the best schools in the Summits network is St. Paul de Morne Thomonde, located on the outskirts of a small farming city. We often bring visitors to St. Paul to show what’s possible: classrooms are filled with skilled, compassionate teachers and students are active participants in the learning process. 

On a recent visit, Principal Alfred Metivier grabbed my arm and introduced me to Richard, one of the school’s brightest pupils. Principal Metivier, who I have known for years, always loves to highlight his students but Richard, he said, was particularly special.

I was immediately struck by Richard’s maturity, he seemed wise beyond his twelve years. He spoke passionately about his love of math, music, and art. Hardship, I thought, often spurs maturity, and I soon learned that Richard had lost both of his parents at a young age. 

While other children mightt have dropped out of school, Richard only charged ahead.

Over the summer, he raised two goats to sell in order to pay for his school fees. With the leftover money, he bought school supplies and a new uniform.  On Saturdays and over holidays, he works at a local mechanic to support himself. Richard understands that his education is the only way to achieve his dreams. His entrepreneurial spirit will be strengthened through education, and his dreams made possible because of supporters like you.

I want to learn how to be a ceramic installer and to be an artist. When you finish with school and you learn how to be something - this is a good life. You won’t live the same way you did before but you can't forget the people who were helping you, fighting alongside you. - Richard, Summits 6th grader

Richard’s unwavering commitment to furthering his education - even amidst great hardship – is a theme I see across our communities in the Central Plateau. Now more than ever, families recognize that pursuing an education is the only pathway out of poverty, and towards a life that is lived, not survived.

We created Summits for students like Richard. Ambitious students that deserve access to an education that nurtures and challenges them in a community where they feel safe. We cannot do this important work without you. 

Please consider making a gift to Summits before the year end to ensure students like Richard have the opportunity to thrive. 

With love in my heart, thank you.

In solidarity, 

Marie Flore Chipps

Co-founder, Summits Education

The Impact of Teacher Training

This year was a BIG year for Summits. In March, we launched the Teacher's First Campaign. Over two months, we highlighted the transformative power of teachers and asked you to help us raise $100,000 to fund innovative teacher trainings for our 350 Summits educators in our network. You delivered - together we raised $130,494! This money went straight to the Central Plateau where we held an intensive teacher training institute over the summer with the help with our incredible partners InnovED-UniQ.

As soon as school started, we noticed a difference in our teachers and in our classrooms. Check out our latest report highlighting the impact you made possible.

"I've Seen A Transformation" - A Letter from Paul English

One of my biggest childhood regrets is that I didn't take advantage of education when I was growing up in Boston. I was a late bloomer, but in a country with so much opportunity, I was able to find a path that led me to a successful career in software engineering.

Our kids in rural Haiti live a very different life than those of us in Boston.

In Haiti, education is the difference between making it or not. The difference between getting a job to advance the community or having only one path as a subsistence farmer. Through education, kids in the 40 Summits primary schools can follow a very different path. Those lucky enough to have a K-12 schooling end up in careers in healthcare, government, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, and technology. I am 100% sure that those children will transform Haiti.

Since founding Summits two years ago, we’ve seen many lives and communities changed in the Central Plateau, but to continue, we need your help. 

I’ve seen the transformations with my own eyes. When I visited classrooms in the spring, I saw learning patterns typical of schools I’ve visited in other developing countries. Learning was by rote. A teacher was in front of the class reading, and students sat or stood in tight rows, repeating what the teacher said, even if there was no understanding of the materials presented.

Over the summer, Summits began an intensive educator training program, working with our partners InnovEd. When I visited these same schools in September, just a few short months later, I saw a transformation.

The school day now starts with kids and their teachers standing in a large circle outside their school playing games and talking with excitement about the day ahead. As a result, more kids are showing up to school on time, ready to learn.

The biggest change has transpired inside classrooms. Now, desks are organized in circles and the teacher's role is to get students to engage and help each other. There is great energy in these classrooms - students are energized, and teachers are energized. The change is remarkable.

I’ve spent my career building technology companies, but in Haiti the stakes are so much higher. We don’t need technology; instead, we need to embark on infrastructure improvements - clean water, latrines and building a cooking area at each school so students receive a meal every day. We need to continue to create learning environments nurtured by motivated teachers, who have materials and skills to equip students with what they need to thrive.

That's where you come in. 
 
I ask for your support this year as we work to build safe, vibrant classrooms for resilient, dedicated students. Please consider a donation to Summits Education this holiday season. If you are ready, you can give here.

Our vision is bold. In the context of education in Haiti, it’s radical. As we work to raise the standards of education in Summits schools, I am driven by the underlying question: “what would I want for my own children?”

Like my own kids, I want our students to be safe, nourished and challenged. This is our work. On behalf of the entire Summits team and the communities we serve, thank you.

Brightest,

Paul English
Co-founder