Greater Good International

Lekol Pi Gwo Byen is a grassroots school on the island of La Gonave, Haiti, started by Kelly Kobza in 2011 after she visited and understood the desperate need for remedial education.  50% of children do not attend school and of the 50% who do, 60% will not make it through to graduate 6th grade. Kelly thought she could do something to improve these staggering odds.

Each year, we enroll 12 students who are between 9 - 12 years old and who have NEVER been in school before.  We also graduate 12 children annually. The students are fast tracked through a three year program, which culminates in taking the 6th Grade National Matriculation Exam. Pi Gwo Byen is proud to have a 100% passing rate, well above the Haitian National average rate of 20%. In 8 years of operation, we have evolved from 1 teacher and 12 students to a current 3 teachers and 36 students.  The time has come to expand and build classrooms to serve more students.

With your help, we could double our impact.

WE are thrilled to announce that architect Michael Reynolds & Earthship Biotecture  are joining us in building bio-sustainable classrooms.  

We are scheduled to break ground for phase 1 on January 6, 2020.

We must raise funds for materials for the project, will you support our efforts?  No donation is too small or too grand? Your tax deductible donations would be so GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Mesi Anmpil,  Thank you very much.


An Earthship is a type of passive solar earth shelter that is made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires, discarded bottles, and the like. An Earthship addresses six principles or human needs:

1. Thermo-solar heating and cooling
2. solar and wind electricity
3. self-contained sewage treatment
4. building with natural and recycled materials
5. water harvesting and long term storage
6. some internal food production capability

Earthship structures are intended to be "off-the-grid-ready" structures, with minimal reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels. They are constructed to use available natural resources, especially energy from the sun and rain water. They are designed with thermal mass construction and natural cross-ventilation to regulate indoor temperature, and the designs are intentionally uncomplicated and mainly single-story, so that people with little building knowledge can construct them.



ABOUT US

Greater Good International (aka Greater Good Haiti) was launched by Kelly Kobza, a California schoolteacher who traveled to Haiti in the winter of 2010 to assist with the post-earthquake relief efforts. While in Haiti, she saw first-hand the crushing poverty and the high illiteracy rate, and founded GGI to bring a much-needed resource to the people of Haiti.

To resolve such pressing issues as unemployment, poverty, and gender inequality that illiteracy creates in Haiti, GGI founded its literacy program called Lekol Pi Gwo Byen for children between the ages of 9-12 who would otherwise not have any educational opportunities. Since September 2011, GGI has graduated 54 students who have passed the mandatory National Matriculation Sixth Grade Exam—a requirement to enter secondary education. The GGI program is specialized for children who have never attended school. The curriculum aligns with the Haitian National School standards and includes best practices of California State Standards.

GGI’s total budget per year has hovered around $30,000—a bare minimum to continue operations at our current level, also excluding a Directors salary. Generally our funding has come from modest personal donations, although we have received some larger donations from private individuals and organizations.

 The literacy school serves children whose parents are too poor to send them to primary school and now are too old to enter the Haitian school system. The average annual tuition per child on the island, is $250. Our school provides a free equivalent primary school education so that the students are fully prepared to take the National Matriculation Sixth Grade Exam within three years. This allows these children to catch up with their peers. Each year we are able to accept twelve new students—six girls and six boys.

In addition to the literacy program, the school also provides;

·  a healthy hot meal every day promoting good nutrition, which in many cases is the student’s only meal of the day
·  lessons in healthy hygiene including best toilet, hand-washing, teeth-brushing and bathing practices
·  practical experience in organic gardening, beach cleanup, and reforestation
·  space for a dedicated community center, allowing the local community to host events such as workshops, English classes, community meetings, and concerts.

As a grassroots initiative we have seen immediate success. All the children we have graduated have taken and passed the National Matriculation Sixth Grade Exam. Nearly all of these students are currently enrolled in secondary education, 7th through 10th grade. We continue to support them financially and with academic tutoring, in their secondary education.

GGI holds the property title for the land where the school currently resides.   As more students graduate from our literacy program, we will need to provide more ongoing support at the secondary level. Once we are able to achieve this, we envision replicating the program in other towns and villages in Haiti.

Today, we are only making a dent in the literacy problem, but each year we send more kids on to high school, with the skills and education they need to improve their communities. With your help, Greater Good Haiti’s Pi Gwo Byen school can continue to grow!

Thank you for your support!