Share This Campaign:
Still want to give but missed the deadline? CLICK HERE and put "ENGLISH" in the Notes section and we'll get it!
Our new website is coming soon, for more information or updates, email our partner Steph Price directly at price_stephanie@yahoo.com
Thanks for all the support!!
Who are we?
We are English in Mind Institute (EIM) — a free, adult English program in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and we love our school. Although started by an NGO (European Disaster Volunteers) in the aftermath of the earthquake, we are now a Haitian-led, Haitian-taught and Haitian-administered operation. We offer bi-weekly classes to over 100 students at 5 different levels and follow a Cambridge University English syllabus complete with internationally-recognized exams. In short, what started as a simple conversation class has turned into the real deal.
Why English?
The demand for English in Haiti, especially in our capital of Port-au-Prince, is overwhelming. Nearly every day, a new student comes to EIM and asks to be added to our ever-growing waiting list. Why? Knowing English greatly improves our chances of finding long-term, meaningful employment. Which is important everywhere, but especially here.
More than two thirds of Haitians lack formal employment, and more than 50% of our population lives on less than $1.25 a day.1 Without employment, those living in poverty have little chance to better themselves. Yet, not only are there jobs available in Haiti, there is actually a shortage of skilled labor.2 English speakers can find work in hotels, restaurants, offices, and can qualify for scholarships. With the help of EIM, our students are quickly becoming qualified for these positions.
Why is it free?
There are plenty of English schools here in Haiti, but they’re expensive. We don’t believe that learning English should be a privilege of the wealthy. Even though some of our students are willing to pay, a vast majority can’t and we believe it’s important that we keep our doors open to all.
Thankfully, through the generous support of EDV, our founding NGO, this past year we’ve been able to do just that — keep our school free. But as the earthquake becomes a distant memory to some, interest in our English school has been fading and so have the funds.
What now?
We need your help! Our school will live on as long as we can afford it. Between books ($300 per class), supplies (CDs, copies, notebooks), and teacher’s salaries ($150 per month per teacher), we need at least $10,000 to complete the 2013 school year. Even if we did start charging tuition, we’re not sure it would be enough to cover it all.
This September, we’ll also be deciding how many new students from our 200+ waiting list we can afford to admit. The more we raise, the more students we can take on. It's that simple. Please consider supporting us! We love, love, love learning English. Help us share this love with our community.
What will you get?
Beyond our love and excitement, by donating you can get lots of amazing perks! You can get a thank you from one of us, a set of hand made cards by our talented student Nicolas, you can even teach us a word in your honor! See other words we’ve learned here.
Haiti is an amazing country and we think that by taking the time to read this, you must be pretty amazing too. To see/ learn more, check out our Facebook page.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
