This fall, HELP celebrated a very exciting landmark. We received the two largest single-year grant disbursements in our history, thanks to the generous partnership of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) and the Western Union Foundation. Both WKKF and Western Union have a longstanding focus on education, and together they are sponsoring nearly 20% of the HELP student body for the 2013-2014 school year. WKKF’s support for HELP is part of their recently launched 15-year commitment to Haiti, while Western Union’s engagement comes via their three-year “Education for Better” global campaign.

During the fall semester, students found time to organize and participate in a wide range of extracurricular events. From hiking in the mountains to hosting lectures and concerts to organizing clinics, here is a sample of what we have been learning outside the classroom.

In late August, we invited a group of 51 students – our largest incoming class ever – to HELP, along with their parents, to receive a formal welcome to the program not only from the staff but also from the very first HELP student, Isemonde Joseph Balthazar. This was a unique opportunity for our newest scholars to learn about the origins of HELP and for Isemonde to share her inspiring story, which is a testament to the impact of higher education in enabling young people from impoverished backgrounds to succeed against seemingly insurmountable odds.

HELP’s study abroad program is now in its third year, and this past summer HELP students attended Cornell University, Dartmouth College, and a leadership conference in Illinois. We're very pleased to share their international experiences and accomplishments.

As part of HELP’s leadership curriculum, all students participate in a service project that addresses a community need. One such project that has been particularly successful is the brainchild of Anne-Martine Augustin (electrical engineering ’14). After attending a 2011 WISE Haiti Task Force conference highlighting 20 successful initiatives in education, Anne-Martine wondered how students like her could get more exposure to well run local organizations. She came up with the idea of placing university students in internships to provide them with valuable experience and to bring their skills and energy to these institutions across Haiti. Anne-Martine named her initiative ACTIVE (Action Towards Initiatives & Volunteering in Education).

The end of the school year is always a busy and exciting time at HELP, as we showcase academic accomplishments, honor our newest graduates, and say goodbye to staff and students for the summer.

Third-year leadership students participate in a “photo voice” project, documenting what they consider to be the strengths and needs of their communities. For several weeks, each student carries a camera throughout their daily activities, capturing photographs of people and places that represent important aspects of their neighborhoods, with a focus on leadership. We are pleased to share a selection of their photos and reflections.

Upon graduation, HELP students have the distinction not only of joining the less than 1% of their peers to successfully complete a degree at a Haitian university, but also of contributing to the reversal of Haiti’s notorious brain drain – over 90% of HELP alumni are employed locally, compared to just 16% of all Haitians who have earned a university degree in the last 50 years.

One such success story is that of Pierre-Claude Dumeus, a native of Camp Perrin in the hills of southern Haiti, who graduated from Quisqueya University with a degree in electrical engineering in January. Within just three months of defending his thesis at Quisqueya, (he designed a circuit board to restart electrical machinery after a power outage), Pierre-Claude was hired as a Field Operator at E-Power, a Haitian-owned electric generation company in Port-au-Prince. E-Power has also sponsored scholarships for three HELP students since 2012.

HELP talked recently with Pierre-Claude about his experience in the work world.

In March 2013, HELP had the privilege of welcoming actor Ben Stiller and gallerist David Zwirner, co-founders of Artists for Haiti, to the HELP Student Center. Mr. Stiller, who visited with his brother-in-law and a family friend on March 15th, toured the Center, met with junior and senior students, and sat in on an English class. Mr. Zwirner visited on March 18th with his wife and children. The family received a tour of HELP's facilities, observed a leadership class, and met several staff and students.

All HELP students participate in a three-year English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum taught by native speakers. The program starts with an introduction to grammar, speaking, and writing, and progresses to an introduction to literature. In the final two years, ESL instruction is integrated with the leadership curriculum, which incorporates civic education and community service projects to train students to be engaged, active citizens.

When he earned his electrician’s degree in 2002, Salomon Asmath became HELP’s first-ever graduate. After HELP, Salomon worked as a production engineer at an apparel factory in Port-au-Prince. He then spent a year as an operations manager at a handicrafts company, followed by a year as a stock manager. In June 2008, Salomon became a data entry clerk for MINUSTAH’s police division, where he stayed for three years. Today, he is a manager at Energy Central, a solar panel installation company. Salomon lives in a suburb of Port-au-Prince with his wife and child.

Since Daphnée Charles (agro-economics ‘12) and Ronel Lefranc (agro-environment ‘13) journeyed to Dartmouth College in the wake of the January 2010 earthquake, HELP has seen the significant impact that studying abroad has on our students. Dartmouth has accepted HELP students every summer since 2010, and this year a HELP student participated in a new summer program at Cornell University, made possible by the Ming Tian Fund for Haiti’s Tomorrow. So, as winter comes hurtling towards us and we look back with fondness on the summer that was, we thought we’d share the exciting experiences of three of our students who studied abroad this past summer.

In September, HELP opened its doors to 44 eager freshmen with the usual “first day of school” jitters. This generation of students has never known either a prosperous Haiti or the terror of the Tontons Macoutes. They grew up with a different normal, marked by political instability and natural disasters; coups, takeovers, and fraught elections seemed to alternate with hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. These interruptions have long-term impacts: a whole season of crops fail, schools close indefinitely, and families are forced to move and separate. We believe that this only makes our students' achievements all the more impressive, and we are pleased to introduce several members of the freshman class of 2012-2013.

Fédorah Pierre-Louis, HELP's Career Services & Alumni Affairs Coordinator, catches up with Jean Maurice Dumas (computer science ’07), who fills us in on the exciting things he’s been up recently.

At HELP, all students take part in a four-year leadership curriculum based on a service-centered, social change model, and on the five principles of HELP: respect, rigor, courage, sacrifice, and service. With “change for the common good” as our slogan, our goal is to tie professionalism to social responsibility, with the understanding that leadership is manifested through active engagement in creating a more just society, be it in a hospital, in a classroom, on the street, in the farmer’s field, or in the family. HELP’s curriculum helps students to develop the leader that is within each of them, and gives them the tools to inspire effective leadership in others.