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Unsere Projekte

Our Projects

What we do
True to our motto "Seulement l'éducation peut changer notre société" ("Only education can change our society"), our work in Haiti focuses on supporting the local education system. However, we operate completely independently of governmental entities or other aid organizations. With the help of our donors, we enable children from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend primary school, maintain our own school on-site, carry out construction and other structural measures in the school sector, and provide financial support to a small number of particularly needy individuals.

"Seulement l'éducation peut changer notre sociéte."

student sponsorships

Enabling school attendance from 1st to 6th grade constitutes the largest part of the projects supported by Haitihilfe Heinz Kühn e.V. Currently, approximately 900 students in Port-Salut and the surrounding area are provided with the necessary support, distributed among 19 schools. Each school year, a child currently has to pay around 35 to 90 US dollars for tuition, books, uniforms, and school meals. Considering an average per capita income of less than one US dollar per day, this is a sum that most Haitians cannot afford, especially since families are often very large!

We visit every school and personally talk to each of our sponsored children. Our local helpers provide us with active support in organizing and conducting these school visits.

The principle of reciprocity To convey to the children that they are not simply receiving a gift, they must, in return, prepare a small token of gratitude in the form of a self-drawn picture and a few words of thanks. We then send these "Fiches" to the sponsors in Germany. This strengthens the personal connection between sponsors and sponsored children and raises the children's awareness of the support they receive. The number of students who can attend school through our project depends on the donors in Germany. With a donation – regardless of the amount – you can, if you wish, take on one or more sponsorships for children in Haiti. Of course, this is completely non-binding. You are not obligated to take on a sponsorship for six years. Interested in a student sponsorship? sponsorship as a gift

École Notre Dame

Inspired by the idea of creating a place for older children who are no longer accepted in official schools to learn to read and write, Heinz Kühn established his own school in Port-Salut in 1990: the "Ecole Notre Dame". Over time, the institution has evolved into a regular school where, depending on the size of the incoming classes, between 140 and 200 children spend their entire primary school years (1st to 6th grade) before transitioning to secondary schools.

Haitihilfe Kühn e.V. funds the teaching materials, premises, all consumables, school meals, and the six teachers.

After École Notre Dame was heavily damaged by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, we decided to rebuild the school on a different plot of land. We have already acquired a piece of land and enclosed it with a wall. Now, the concrete planning and construction phase is underway. We are supported in this by a team of Architects Beyond Borders e.V. However, in order to realize the project, we urgently rely on numerous donations .

Construction measures and special projects

Throughout its history, Haitihilfe has consistently supported special projects, primarily in the education sector, through financial assistance.

In recent years, these have included:

  • Complete funding of a solid building with three classrooms, Ecole Beaudoin.
  • Construction cost subsidy for the renovation of classrooms and administrative rooms, Ecole Sapotille.
  • Partial funding of a pedestrian bridge to ensure the safety of children's school commute, Ecole Evangelique Dupin.
  • Construction cost subsidy for the construction of a cafeteria building and the preparation of the schoolyard, Ecole Bon Berger.
  • Construction cost subsidy for the start of school construction, Ecole Communautaire Dupin.
  • Construction of a new classroom, maintenance, furniture, and solid doors, Ecole Notre Dame de la Mercie.

 

Aid for the poorest families, sick, and elderly people.

Hardships, the sudden loss of the family breadwinner, old age, and illness: In Haiti, one encounters much suffering at every turn. The Haitihilfe Heinz Kühn e.V. supports a few of the poorest families as well as some elderly and sick individuals. Since the number of people who can be supported monthly with 10 to 20 US dollars is very limited, we work particularly closely with our committee on this matter. They are familiar with all the residents of Port-Salut and know which families are particularly in need. Currently, we support 15 of the poorest families and 40 orphaned children, as well as elderly or sick individuals.

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