West Tennessee Haiti Partnership

Tuesday, March 7, 2017 Part 1 by Sonya Yencer

TUESDAY :: PART 1 :: Our second day in our favorite Caribbean country. Today, Sherye went in one direction, Sonya in another. We’ll begin with Sherye. 

Sherye serves as the educational advisor on St. Vincent’s Governing Board, a newly established board of directors set up to guide St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children. The Board is comprised of 5 Haitians and 4 Americans, each with a vested interest in the future of St. Vincent’s. The goal of the Board: to create and implement sustainable strategies to make St. Vincent’s a better place for students.

The nine board members met at the Montana, a well-known hotel with one of the best views of Port-au-Prince in the city. It also houses a beautiful area memorializing those who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake of 2010 that tragically killed over 250,000 people.

The group’s robust discussion included: a 3 year plan to train the teachers, the creation of a vocational program to help integrate students into society, teacher / child ratios, teaching standards, independent IEPs for each child, enrollment procedures and finances. Everyone brought their unique perspectives and are working together toward consensus to create the best learning environment for the children.

Looking forward to the future for these precious children!

 
(From left to right) Sherye Fairbanks, Sonya Yencer, Susan Nelson, Brittany Jonap
 
The January 12 memorial at the Montana.
 
Part of the memorial.
 
Tributes to those who lost their lives.
 
The Montana.
 
View from the memorial.
 
Thank you, Jennifer Tyndall Wickham, for this pic of the board meeting – many good minds and hearts working together. 
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