Health for Haiti Projects

What is Health for Haiti?

Health for Haiti is SUNY Broome’s first faculty-led, credit-bearing, global service learning course. Launched in January 2014, the focus of this interdisciplinary four-credit course is to provide humanitarian assistance to our neighbors in Haiti and to prepare college students to contribute to our shared global community. Our projects focus on holistic community development and we strive to work together with our partners in Haiti to combat the effects of poverty and create a better future that is both sustainable and faithful to the vision of the community. In addition to the formal Health for Haiti class, the partnership with communities in Haiti has provided a rich opportunity for SUNY Broome faculty and students to engage in unique and meaningful projects from home.

Highlighted Projects

Bridge to Haiti

Bridge to Haiti is collaboration between the Business Information Technology department at SUNY Broome, and the SUNY Broome Course, “Health for Haiti”. Through this collaboration, Bridge to Haiti is creating solar powered computer labs in Haiti and teaching computer literacy to hundreds of children in urban and rural Haiti. BIT students create lessons and other digital assets for our partners in Haiti through virtual global service learning projects.

In addition to providing children and young adults with the opportunity to acquire new skills, we have established a virtual “Bridge to Haiti” which allows the SUNY Broome community to communicate with the people of Haiti. There are many opportunities for sharing knowledge and learning from each other.

IMG_0962Students learn about computer hardware.

IMG_1306Computer class is part of the graded curriculum.

IMG_2026Students learn to create and save a file.

IMG_2051Students learn the parts of a computer.

IMG_2120Students learn computer basics in Cite Soleil.

IMG_2292Computer class at a school in Cite Soleil

IMG_2296Learning to use a computer may open future employment opportunities.

IMG_2298Computer class in Cite Soleil.

Picture1SUNY Broome students install solar panels in Haiti.

Picture2Solar panels on a classroom in Haiti.

Picture3The computer teacher in Grande Saline works with his students.

Picture4Students in computer class in Grande Saline, Haiti.

B2H 1Students in computer class in Grande Saline, Haiti.

Students in computer class in Grande Saline, Haiti.

School Kitchen Project

Health for Haiti has helped to support a school in rural Grande Saline, Haiti for several years. The school has grown from 25 children attending school in the local church to over 150 children attending kindergarten through 9th grade in classrooms.

Having an opportunity to eat lunch is critical to academic success, but is a luxury in many places in Haiti. Through our Health for Haiti community garden project, local vegetables and rice are used to provide the children with a nutritious lunch. The school lunch is currently cooked outside or in a makeshift shelter made of tarps and metal sheeting.

Health for Haiti is teaming up with the SUNY Broome Engineering Club and Tioga Hills Elementary School in Vestal, New York to design and raise funds for the construction of a modern solar school kitchen for storing food, dishes, and utensils, and for preparing and serving a school lunch.

This project will be completed in four phases and when complete, will be the first modern construction in the area, complete with wiring and plumbing.