universal literacy for haiti
universal literacy for haiti
Helping Young People Create New Worlds
and Partners' Power of Good
Lèkol Toupatou! (School Everywhere!)
for Universal Literacy in Haiti.
Feeding Education.
Educators in Music
JAMBAR helps SUFC and 18 other Partners in Music and Education.
Madame Franck Paul with
her 243-page textbook, Mon Livre Unique.
SUFC and Partners held a
Concert for Kidd Jordan in 2019.
universal literacy for haiti
SUFC REVIEW 2021
Sticking Up For Children has had since 2014 four main Partners in Haiti.
They are the FOYER ESPOIR POUR les ENFANTS (FEPE) orphanage and
its companion ECOLE FOYER ESPOIR (EFE) school in the Delmas 75 district of Port-au-Prince city; COLLEGE CANAPE-VERT in that once-suburban part of Port-au-Prince between downtown and Petionville; and the YOUPI YOUPI school (Youpi Youpi is "Happy Happy" in Haitian Kréyol) in Cayes Jacmel along Haiti's southern coast.
Throughout our time with them these four Partners have maintained
and progressed despite many difficulties.
Enrollment in EFE has more than doubled since 2014, rising now to 258
students. Enrollment in Youpi Youpi has increased more than 50% and
grown from 5th Grade to 8th Grade. Students in both schools have won
national awards and have continued to excel as they've matriculated.
College Canapé-Vert has sent more than 23,000 graduates into the world since 1974. The FEPE orphanage expanded three-fold after the 2010 earthqauke in Port-au-Prince and now maintains 34 young people,
ages two to 18, with a home, food, uniforms and other clothing, and tuition.
Great people are principal in these Partners. Madame Marie-Jo Poux founded FEPE in late 2009; took on its post-earthquake growth; and seeded the EFE school. Jonathand Saintiné is the Principal at EFE.
Madame Marie-Marthe Balin Franck Paul founded College Canapé-Vert in 1974, served as Mayor of Port-au-Prince after ouster of "Baby Doc"
Duvalier, and authored the textbook for first-year students, Mon Livre Unique, that's now transformed into a 592-hour audio and video recording, "Lèkol Toupatou", for universal learning across Haiti. Madame Mireille Chéry is Chief Administrator at College Canapé-Vert. Educator Madame Marie-Lynne Pasteur and her husband Lupson began the Youpi Youpi school in their private house, following 2010's earthquake, and pushed the growth of that school's to more than 150, or more than 300%, too.
These are among the people who benefit students every day. They're
intent on restoring ideals of Haiti's beginnings--the only successful
revolution by slaves in history; the first anti-racist and equal-rights Constitution in history--and on enabling their students' unique gifts
into the 21st century.
Small Title
Jennifer Maxwell is a mainstay for Sticking Up For Children.
Jennifer has supported our efforts since 2014. Her gifting
has helped us bring expansions and renovations,
generators and schoolbuses, laptops and 3D-printers,
microphones and iMacs, to students and teachers in Haiti
and New Orleans. Jennifer and her late husband Brian
Maxwell succeeded through their own invention: Power
Bar was the world's first energy-bar Since 1987 Power
Bars have provided healthy, on-the-go nutrition to
hundreds of millions.
Now the nutritionist and
athlete and mother of six
is making another step forward. The JAMBAR is an 'organic artisan energy bar.'
The JAMBAR promises to be
as evolutionary as its
predecessor. We of Sticking
Up For Children are SO GLAD
that Jennifer Maxwell is with
us for 2021, 2022, and the future.
JAMBARS come in four ... configurations (flavors is too slight a word for these Bars' complexity of ingredients and their uplifting tastes). "It gave me an immediate boost," said Kirk Joseph of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. "It's a kicker," said WWOZ show-host Sakura Koné. "I like the Chocolate, and I don't like chocolate," said the 'Greatest Woman Athlete of the 20th Century' (Sports Illustrated), Jackie Joyner-Kersee. "They're delicious and nutritious and I love to have one before a performance," said 'one of the most versatile and skilled musicians America has ever produced' (Washington Post), composer and improviser David Amram.
You'll note the musical elements in each JAMBAR ...
configuration. Chocolate Cha Cha, Musical Mango,
Jammin' JazzleBerry, and Malt Nut Melody. Well, Jennifer Maxwell is a drums-set player of 20 years standing, and a professional in the California Jazz Conservatory.
She's donating 50% of JAMBAR's profits to entities
that promote 'music and active living.'
AT THE CENTER
Marie-Jo Poux, Marie-Marthe Balin Franck Paul, and Mireille Chéry Antoinie, here at Graduation for EFE students in June 2018.
Maryse Philippe Déjean, here at SUFC'S passing along instruments from Jeff Campbell and Hungry for Music to
Dr. Jean Montes and the New Orleans Youth Orchestra, May 2021.
Jonathand Saintiné, Principal of EFE, carries bags of ice for the relief trip by students and teacher from Port-au-Prince to southern Haiti, August 2021.
Growing Gardens, 'Hungry for Music', and Youth Orchestras
Sticking Up For Children engaged in projects with several long-time friends during 2021.
'Growing Gardens' spotlit efforts to make communities and households self-sustaining as to food.
JOE ICET has worked to make farming and healthy foods accessible to EVERYONE since a little after Noah saw that his Ark would float. Joe, a U.S. Army veteran, began his mission for "food security" in the Fifth Ward of Houston, Texas in 1999. Within 10 years that patch of garden had grown into a multi-acre spread, named The Last Organic Outpost, less than 3 miles from both Interstate 10 and downtown Houston, and involving growers from the neighborhood. Now Joe is expanding the 10 acres of Hill Horizon Farms, midway between Houston and Dallas / Fort Worth. Check Joe's farming out in the Houston Chronicle, Seedstock, and more in SUFC's March 2021 Update.The INTERVIEW there tells how Africans helped crucially in Houston's Organic Outpost.
DAVID YOUNG is another drawn to the calling of sustenance for communities. David was a Sheriff in
Indiana when in 2009 he first volunteered in New Orleans' post-Flood Lower 9th Ward. The next year,
David moved whole to the Lower 9th. He was among several there--natives and newcomers--committed to reversing "food-deserts." By 2016 David was shepherding over 30 lots and over 30 New Orleans' growers. Now, following battles with two kinds of cancer, he maintains apiaries and gardens. Hear
our INTERVIEW with David in the March 2021 Update.
BOTANICAL INTERESTS, based in Colorado, leapt to help SUFC with our encouraged gardens in New Orleans and Haiti. Musicians Kirk Joseph, Roger Lewis, Herlin Riley and his wife Pat, and Evan Christopher and family, were among planters in New Orleans, while EFE, FEPE, College Canapé-Vert and
the Youpi Youpi school grew flowers and food in Haiti.
JEFF CAMPBELL and HUNGRY FOR MUSIC are one subject in the April 2021 Update. Jeff and HFM are
another wonder of accomplishments.
HUNGRY FOR MUSIC grew out of the COALITION AGAINST HUNGER in Washington, DC 27 years ago.
Since then Jeff and partners have delivered more than 15,000 musical instruments to students in 49 States and 30 Nations. Jeff continues to tour--in van or big bus--with the instruments donated by Stores,
individuals, Foundations, ... and puts them into the hands of the many, many folks committed to giving
young people the means to become musicians.
We sat down with Jeff for an INTERVIEW in April 2021. "Wow! ... Wow! ... Wow!" made up the serial chorus of Maryse's and my exclamations at how much HUNGRY FOR MUSIC was and is able to do.
Visit HUNGRY FOR MUSIC's great website for more inspiration.
Jean conducting.
DR. JEAN MONTES directs the Orchestral Studies program in Loyola University of New Orleans. Jean
also directs the Youth Orchestras of New Orleans and Port-au-Prince. Following the Flood to New Orleans
of 2005 and the Earthquake to Haiti of 2010, Jean led Teams of students from Loyola with donated
instruments to students in Haiti. During the past two COVID years, Jean and the Orchestras have maintained their combined rehearsals and performances via Zoom and other digital means.
Sticking Up For Children was able to pass along to Jean and his projects in 2021 five of the instruments given to us by Jeff Campbell and Hungry For Music, and then to contribute a little funding for completion
of the video montage of students in New Orleans and Port-au-Prince performing together online.
Marvelous Youth Orchestras' collaborations of 2020, sponsored by
Positive Vibrations Foundation.
Jean with one of the instruments donated by Hungry for Music.
Aid to southern Haiti
SUFC's Partners stepped to aid the dispossessed immediately after a 7.2 earthquake struck the three
southern Departments of Haiti on August 14, 2020. Students and teachers of EFE and FEPE, Lupson
Pasteur of the Youpi Youpi school and a team of five, traveled multiple times to bring goods and skills
and their work, while College Canapé-Vert opened up a new connection to OPADEL's successes.
The first trip from Port-au-Prince by EFE / FEPE students, delivering supplies to southern towns,
the first weekend after the August 14 earthquake. Madame Marie-Jo Poux donated goods from
the container she'd filled in New Orleans in June for EFE/FEPE's use in the coming months.
The second trip back to the town of Corail in the
Department of Nippes delivered more goods.
One of the houses rebuilt by Lupson and five
during their two visits to the mountains of
Nippes, his home Department, from the coastal
town of Cayes Jacmel.
Thanks to Madame Franck Paul, Sticking Up For Children was introduced last August and September to another
compassionate visionary, DOMINIQUE ROMUALD.. M. Romauld and OPADEL (OPADEL in Haitian Kréyol stands
for Organization of Peasants for Development in the Mountains) has done a lot in southern Haiti over the past
decades. ALL of the 35-square-meter houses of timber and stone gabion, designed in partnership with
'Architechture and Design' of Italy, withstood the severe, 7.2 earthquake last August. They've withstood Hurricanes
too. They're a future for highly affordable housing in Haiti--each house can be completed in FIVE DAYS by the
trained and their trainees.
Dominique Romauld is now working with Madame Franck Paul to bring innovative improvements to College Canapé-Vert.
From SUFC's first Music & Arts Day in New Orleans, May of 2013, we've had splendid support
from musicians and other artists. Below are some who contributed to the 22-tracks STACK
of September 2021 to help our efforts. You may want to hear the STACK on Bandcamp as you
view parts of Sticking Up For Children.
The givers, year after year.
Kavanaugh Farr of Strip-Ease of New Orleans. Photo by Paul Punzo.
Jim Van Dine--an example of his humor.
Alex, Don, Jon Frey, Katrina Frey, Tim; seated, Alison de Grassi,
Maryse Phillipe Déjean. Photo by Vergilia Dakin.
Leslie Bertucci with FEPE-created
Drumsticks-as-Art, SUFC Festiva 2016.
Melba and Ken Ferdinand and student-
created Drumsticks-as-Art, Festiva 2015.
Diana Shaw, Bruce Gebhart at Mario Abney Sextet
show, Ray's on the Avenue, NOLA, July 2021.
Paul Siegel in the NYC club
Guantanamara, where he
introduced musicians to SUFC.
Rick Wilkoff, tribute to
Idris Muhammad
at SUFC Festiva 2016.
Bonnie Raitt, soulful artist.
Julie Jacobs and Angela King with the Haitian metal art
that Marie-Jo Poux sold to fund FEPE/EFE, July 2021.
Angela and her Gallery and her EVOLVE space are
always there for SUFC and our Partners. See the superb
sculptures by three Haitian artists whom she showed in 2019.
The Phillips family--Joyia, Collins, Sheila and Jabari--in New Orleans'
Lower 9th Ward, 2014, wearing shirts from a major supporter of SUFC, the D'Addario Foundation, and holding ProMark Giant Sticks. All the
Phillips have contributed greatly to Drumsticks-as-Art and Music & Arts Days. Aristide Phillips, photographer of this shot, particulary
helped with his videos, such as 'Haiti at New Orleans Children's Worlds Fair.'
Gaynielle Neville, Cyril Neville and Idris Muhammad at SUFC's Festiva #1, October 2013. Photo again by Paul Punzo.
Cyril and Gaynielle founded in February of that year the efforts that became Sticking Up For Children.
Haitian creativity graced SUFC again
in 2019. Three sculptors during Jazz
Fest, then Freedom Sandals designed
by EFE?FEPE students and master
artisan Madame Elysée.
So many more than we can name--in particular the volunteers at our Music & Arts Days and Festivas in New Orleans and the givers for education in Haiti--are there
for their deeds to be thanked, over the past seven years. Even more will come in this present decade, we think,
the decade that can be for us all the greatest yet.
True words from Bucky Fuller, ever more
apt for our transforming the 21st century
into freedsoms and general prosperity.
We come back to Haiti (sky above Port-au-Prince below) and the students and projects that SUFC wants to further help.
Madame Franck Paul's and her Team's Lèkol Toupatou (School Everywhere) is undoubtedly a great thing. SUFC is very lucky to be associated with such an accomplishment and ambition.
What can be more empowering than universal literacy?
Madame Franck Paul is undoubtedly a world-wonder, comparable to David Amram and many of the great people whom SUFC is lucky to know.
Mme. Franck Paul's 80th
birthday is celebrated in
Haiti, 2015.
January 2021, she uses her award's funds to have new tile installed in the 2nd-to-3rd-floor stairway of College Canapé-Vert.
November 2020, she wins an award for
her decades of service to education.
Madame Franck Paul is, however, just one among many Champions. More than Three--more than Six--more than we can know.
Marie-Jo Poux of FEPE and EFE, Marie-Marthe Balin Franck Paul and Mireille Chéry Antoinie
of College Canapé-Vert at EFE Graduation.
The greatest hopes for champions are those as yet unknown.
They're here.
Here.
Here.
Sticking Up For Children looks forward to working with you for much more in years ahead.
