Teaching Technology, Changing Lives: Yours Humanly Haiti Computer School

Teaching Technology, Changing Lives: Yours Humanly Haiti Computer School

Technology has woven itself deeply into education, and has done so with unprecedented speed the last twenty years. With the pandemic-induced changes we’ve undergone as a society, the two have grown seemingly inseparable. Students today rely on the tools of technology to navigate and succeed in their academic careers. According to a survey conducted by Cambridge International, 48 percent of students worldwide use desktop computers in the classroom, 42 percent use smartphones, and 33 percent learn with smartboards.[i]

In 2021, technology is a lifeline for millions of students as they continue their educational journey, yet there are millions more without access to a device as essential as a computer or tablet. Yours Humanly is making strides to change that.

On October 24^th, 2021, Hinche, Haiti, celebrated the opening of the first ever Yours Humanly Computer School. Joining the Yours Humanly Haiti team were members of the community, including the town’s mayor, who attended the ribbon-cutting to welcome the new educational resource into their village.

Hinche’s children and families are already putting the school to good use. Immediately after the doors opened, more than 100 young students registered for classes—impoverished children who may never have had access to technology are now learning hands-on and gaining an increasingly vital education in computer science.

Two classes a day are held Monday through Sunday, allowing children ages 10 and over to attend class after school and on weekends. Additionally, the school offers evening classes benefiting older youth and adults looking to develop their own computer and technology skills.

The computer school project was made possible through our Bridging Gaps initiative, which serves to bridge the gaps between educational need and available resources. And the school was brought to life by the Yours Humanly Haiti team and Hinche locals. Together they worked to convert an existing building into something that will transform the lives of Haiti’s children in need, serving hundreds of students today and thousands more who will follow for years to come.

Funded and supervised by Yours Humanly, the project included major renovations to the building and installations of computer stations, furniture, and toilets. Yours Humanly provided laptops, software, and computer books; subsidized the purchase of generators; and covers the salaries of computer science instructors. It is significant to note that the school is in a remote location of Haiti, without previous access to the Internet or any hi-tech services or capabilities that internet service provides. Despite several challenges bringing internet service for the first time to this part of Hinche and to this school specifically, Yours Humanly managed to do just that, demonstrating unwavering commitment to our mission and perseverance to make things happen on behalf of children in need. The building is fully equipped with new computers, dependable internet access, and experienced computer science instructors to guide the children of Hinche and neighboring communities on a path toward a quality educational experience that now includes technology and computer instruction in the curriculum. View photos of the renovation process and ribbon cutting ceremony here.

The creation of the Yours Humanly Haiti Computer School was supported in part by Intel. Thanks to the generosity of the members of Intel’s workforce, children in need now have access to a computer science education that may change the course of their lives. The Yours Humanly Haiti team, the school’s computer science instructors, Hinche’s community members, and Yours Humanly donors are also to be thanked for lending a strong hand in brightening so many lives and collaborating so passionately on behalf of children in need.

When we think of K-12 education in 2021, we picture tablets, laptops, computers, smartboards, and virtual learning platforms inside classrooms and in the hands of young people. In reality, millions of underprivileged children cannot experience the learning power that reliable, state-of-the-art technology offers. All children deserve a quality education with equitable resources, and Yours Humanly works to level the playing field for children in need by providing tools, programs, and environments to make that happen. The Yours Humanly Haiti Computer School is a gratifying example of our mission in action.

With your help and generosity, we can continue giving the gift of education and brightening the lives of thousands of children in need by building computer schools in other countries we serve. Please donate here. Thank you!

[i] https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/514611-global-education-census-survey-report.pdf