As Montessorians we understand how important education is for the development of society and preparing children for their roles in it. Without qualified teachers, children in Haiti would not have a chance to improve their lives through education. Rebuilding our teacher training facilities that were destroyed in the 2010 earthquake has therefore been the main focus of the Peter Hesse Foundation. We are rebuilding in stages as funds become available. So far we have built the foundations and the walls using funds collected by the Foundation and volunteer labour by students from a German professional school. We now have a water source – a well that was drilled by the Rotary Club – and the foundation has paid for by a local Haitian company to install a water collection and drainage system. Carol Guy-James Barratt, our leading Montessori directress from Trinidad is on the ground to organize the construction-work.
Currently most of our funds, which we accumulated after the earthquake, are almost used-up and we are seeking new donations to be able to complete the center, to modestly furnish it, and to import new Montessori material. We are hoping that our appeals for more support will produce good results, to allow us to start training teachers for the coming academic year. The need for more Montessori teachers in Haiti to care for the many unfortunate children who still live dispersed in the countryside of Haiti is very urgent. So far larger organizations with more financial possibilities have been reconstructing schools, but it is often forgotten that such schools need teachers to give children a real chance to fully develop.