School:Ecole Communautaire du Bel-Air Herve Romain Cœur Joyeux (“École du Bel-Air”)
Area:Bel-Air, Port Au Prince

Need
In 2005, the town of Bel-Air, in Port Au Prince, was severely afflicted by political violence and natural disaster.  Upon visiting the area earlier in 2007, the grim consequences of Haiti’s recent history were painfully evident to our team. 

In this densely populated slum of Port Au Prince, the level of poverty is unimaginable. Many of the shanties, which are covered with bullet holes, have long been abandoned.  Children no older than 4 years old are forced to beg on the streets, as their parents have no prospect of finding employment.  Others, still suffering from the traumatic stress of their recent past, spend their days hopelessly playing in the dirt without any access to schooling, books or toys.

In an area where most families struggle to even pay for water, education is considered a rare privilege (see Haiti page).  Sadly, malnutrition is the most urgent problem occupying the children of Haiti today, and many are forced to survive for days without eating. During our visit to Bel-Air, one child dangerously clung himself to our car handle as we were leaving, refusing to let go until we donated a couple of dollars for food.  To our team at Edeyo, the experience was a startling reminder that without our help, these children’s futures are non-existent.

Response
Edeyo’s founder Unik Ernest along with co-founder Michael Pradieu, and Ann Vincent decided to pool their financial and social resources to raise funds for the creation of a school in the area. The celebration commemorating Unik’s birthday also served as the genesis of the Edeyo foundation’s first major endeavor towards their goal of “empowering the children of Haiti through education.”

École Communautaire du Bel-Air Herve Romain Cœur Joyeux (“École du Bel-Air”)
opened in November 2007 with an enrollment of 88 students. Today the school facility comprises 6 classrooms, 2 bathrooms and a functional drainage system for it’s 96 students - 46 boys and 50 girls - all of whom had very limited access to education.

Supplies
Edeyo furnishes École du Bel-Air with classroom essentials, including blackboards, chairs and desks, while providing all students with uniforms, notebooks, pencils, backpacks.

Free Education
Thanks to the continual support of our donors, tuition at École du Bel-Air is completely free of charge. In a country where private schools account for over 80% of primary and secondary school enrollment and public schools still require families to pay for uniforms and supplies, École du Bel-Air plays a vital role in the community.

Our Food Program
Edeyo provides one hot meal a day to all enrolled students through the help of our benefactors and generous sponsorships from local New York restaurants. (should be a link to restaurants or link to a page with a form for participating in the program).

Edeyo furnishes École du Bel-Air with classroom furniture and supplies, while also
providing students with uniforms, notebooks, pencils, backpacks, and one hot meal a day without charging tuition.

The Future
As we begin to expand the capacity of École du Bel-Air, Edeyo plans to build a school cafeteria directly across the road from the school building, which will accommodate all enrolled students and provide a permanent place for staff to cook and serve meals.

We also plan to expand enrollment to accommodate a total of 150 students in the upcoming year and will be acquiring a generator to provide 24-hour electricity to the main building.