Tag: Mission Travel

B Yourself

Leading the Hope for Haiti: Things you should know about the education system.

In honor of our upcoming mission trip to Haiti, we feel it is important to know a little background about the educational initiatives and systems that affect the communities of Haiti. 

  1. In 2010, an earthquake crushed the population of Haiti, destroyed the existing infrastructure, and caused the national debt to rise to prevent rebuilding efforts.
  2. Currently,  59% of its population lives below the poverty line. 
  3. Literacy Rate: 53% of its population do not know how to read.
  4. The official language taught in primary schools is Creole.
  5. Haiti follows after the French education model of three stages: primary education, secondary education and higher education.
  6. Primary education ages begin at 6 years old and consist of preparatory, elementary, and intermediate cycles, each of which lasted two years.
  7. Tuition in public schools is legally free for the first two cycles of fundamental education (elementary), 81.5% of these children go to private schools and pay fees.
  8. To transition into secondary education, students are required to receive a primary education certificate (CEP) and take an entrance exam which is estimated that only 2% of children pass.
  9. The education system uses French as the language of instruction. Less than 10% of the population speaks French.
  10. Upon passing these extensive state exams, hosted by The Ministry of National Education, those students would be able to continue their education in either a public or private institution.
  11. The secondary level consists of a 3-year lower cycle and 4-year upper cycle. Students able to pass into secondary education would receive the baccalauréat (the equivalent of the high school diploma).
  12. Secondary school means earning a baccalaureate.  However, only upon completion of the classe de philosophie exams entitles a student to proceed to a university.
  13. There are a limited number of regional public universities and institutions; while private institutions with higher tuition and fees.  Less than 1% of the college age group are enrolled at the university level.

We value education and cherish that basic human right!

With our partnership with the buildOn organizations to present the School Build Project- Haiti, we will be able to contribute to bettering a rural community in Haiti.  This school will serve over 400 children and adults from a rural community and will serve as a catalyst for sustainable and positive community development. 

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PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI 

References:

The World Bank GDP Growth, World Bank, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG (last visited Feb. 10, 2019).

Danielle N. Boaz, Examining Creole Languages in the Context of International Language Rights, 2 Hum. Rts. & Globalization L. Rev. 45, 49 (2008)

Georges E. Fouron, The History of Haiti in Brief, in THE HAITIAN CREOLE LANGUAGE: HISTORY, STRUCTURE, USE, AND EDUCATION 23, 24 (Arthur K. Spears & Carole M. Berotte Joseph eds., 2010).

B Yourself

Top 5 Reasons For BGood Worldwide

Since the beginning of humanity exploring the unknown has been one of the storylines we’ve consistently played throughout all of history. To explore the unknown means to uncover truths and undiscovered worlds; embracing the fascinating nooks and crannies of these divine world to feed our indulging minds. It offers inspiration, encouragement, and motivation to continue further into the depths seeking new possibilities for things we have we have always known.

But what happens after our explorations have come to an end? What happens with all the acquired knowledge? Simple, we share it with others! The best things in life are better when you can share it with your family, friends, and peers. It gets even better when we can participate together.

When knowledge is shared amongst members of a community, we create a means to spark new conversations. From these conversations, we establish new concepts and ideas. Sparking the conversation, this how leaders are inspired.

Leaders transform the world by creating new productive and creative pathways to learning. It involves the development of your personal qualities, family support, and your philanthropic qualities. Take athletics for example; to be a well-rounded athlete we must train hard, most often using various training methods. This concept is called cross-training. A swimmer will cycle, run, and lift weights to improve their skills in order to become a better swimmer. For the leaders of tomorrow, learning, sharing, and participating are the cross-training mechanisms needed to become a better leader.

This is what BGood Worldwide encourages! Our B The Light leadership program is designed specifically to help uncover your leadership capabilities, perform work in various communities, and getting involved with those in your connected circles. The results of your participation can be extremely fulfilling in terms of gaining new skills, networking, and a variety of other aspects.

Here are the top 5 reasons for joining a team or starting a team with the BGood Worldwide, B The Light leadership program:

  1. You can gain and discover new skills. Interactive learning and opportunities to support a worldly cause can give individuals access to untapped potential. You can discover skills that are transferable to aspects of everyday living. Skills such as building a presentation presence, time management, organization, teamwork, problem-solving, and creative thinking.
  2. You can explore different career options: Understanding where your capabilities fit in on the broad spectrum of the workforce can be weeded out during this development stage. You can improve on the areas that you excel in and bridge a connection in areas in which you don’t excel. The key is determining what you are best at doing.
  3. Bringing value to your community: You never know when your new found skills can improve someone else’s quality of life.
  4. You can improve your CV: Employers value programs that target individual development as a means of industry experience. Crediting such exposure on your resume or cover letter, allows an employer to see that you have learned valuable skills from an internship, volunteer work, missionary work, or shadowing. First-hand experience can build confidence in your abilities. Responsibilities become easier the more familiar you are with the kind of work performed in your area of interest. You get a sense of motivation to say ‘this is something, I KNOW I can do’; and an employer can have a sense of confidence in considering your capabilities when considering you for a position.
  5. You can expand your network of people: I am sure we have all heard the saying” it’s not about WHAT you know, but about WHO you know, to get you where you need to go”! Taking on the opportunity to communicate with others enables you to build lasting relationships with people in various walks of life.

“Skill is fine and genius is splendid, but the right contacts is more valuable than either,” -Sir Archibald McIndoe, consultant surgeon to the Royal Air Force during the Second World War

The relationships allow you to gain new perspectives about your experiences. For example, having interests in certain career fields would benefit from internship and shadowing opportunities to get a better idea of the daily responsibilities of a professional in that field. Networking to build relationships with these professionals in such career fields gives you a better chance of helping individuals deciding on the best career option.