Jacky Poteau

FATEM was founded in April 2006 by a group of former students who attended school in the town of Mirebalais, Haiti, with the aim to bring information technology to the people in the region, thus help the economic advancement of the area. Our work focuses on three areas:

EDUCATION - From the start, we chose education as one of our areas of activities because we were witnessing its deterioration in Haiti. Of the country's 8.7 million inhabitants, about half (52.9%) are illiterate, which is by far the highest rate in the Caribbean region. Haiti counts 15,200 primary schools, of which the vast majority is private and managed by the communities, religious organizations or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The enrollment rate for primary school is 67%, of which less than 30% reach 6th grade. Secondary schools enroll 20% of eligible-age children, and more than half of Haitian children do not go to school. In many rural areas, there are virtually no schools; also, parents often need their children to work in the fields or look after siblings and have no choice but to keep them away. Our Learn to Read and Write Program contains the following components:
• Tuition Assistance
• School Meal
• School Construction and Repair
• Latrine Construction
• Clean Water Access
• Teacher Training

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTs) - Directly linked with Education is the use of Information and Communication Technologies. It is widely believed that ICTs can and will empower teachers and learners, transforming teaching and learning processes from being highly teacher-dominated to student-centered, and that this transformation will result in increased learning gains for students, thus creating and allowing for opportunities for learners to develop their creativity, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills.

To that effect, FATEM entered into a partnership with OPAJEC (Organisation des Paysans et des Jeunes du Centre) to establish an IT Center for students and professionals to conduct research. FATEM has also contributed along with other stakeholders to the establishment of the new Mirebalais Municipal Library and Technology Center.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMEMT - Our "teach-a-man-to-fish" philosophy dictates us to help the beneficiaries of our services to become self-reliant in the process and be capable to support themselves and their family. Every time, a family is able to move on their own, it allows us to switch our assistance to the next one in need. To this end, we are working on a pilot agriculture program in several of the rural areas where we have our partner schools. Through this program, parents of the students who are currently participants in our Learn To Read and Write will receive assistance from local agronomists in the latest and best techniques to use to get the most out of their land. Our unique partnership with 1000 Jobs/Haiti (www.1000jobshaiti.org) has allowed us to participate in creating just, fair and decent jobs for residents of the Mirebalais area and its immediate surroundings.