“The mission of KONEKTE is to make a connection between two very different communities,” said Anne Hoppenot, KONEKTE co-founder and trip leader. “It is a connection based on mutual learning and appreciation. We couldn’t do it without the help of our friends in the Princeton area or the NJ-based Foundation For Peace which hosts our group in Haiti.”
The team of 5 adults and 15 teenagers worked on a wide variety of activities, including mixing cement by hand, teaching business, soap making and art classes, bringing solar power to an orphanage dormitory, distributing mosquito nets and organizing the third annual KONEKTE soccer tournament.
“We had an ambitious schedule of activities this year, it was a lot of work and organization,” said Judy Sarvary, KONEKTE board member and a trip leader, “but it is worth it when you see the difference you can make and how much it is appreciated. The enthusiasm and eagerness to learn is inspiring.”
17-year old PHS student Theo Devlaminck, whose mother, Noum, a teacher at the Princeton Charter School, also came on the trip, described it as “an eye-opening experience.” He was amazed at how many of the local villagers came out to help with the construction of a new school. “Not only did we have the opportunity to help the Haitians, but they also taught us something important in return, how to act like a true community,” he said.
Led by Stuart Country Day School graduate, Vanessa Li, the team organized a series of art classes. “It was always my dream to learn to draw and paint but I never had a paintbrush in my hand before,” said a 16-year old student. “I have realized my dream and I thank you profoundly,” he said.
While some team members were organizing classes, others were installing a solar suitcase in the dormitory of a local orphanage, Le Centre d’Action pour la Developpement (CAD). “On behalf of the children, I thank you,” said a thrilled Marline Mondesir, orphanage director. “The children will now have electricity to study, read and play at night.”
This ‘solar suitcase’ was one of two which had been assembled by students at Stuart Country Day School as part of a 2-week project learning program. The ‘suitcase’ is a compact, transportable system designed by We Share Solar to provide solar powered lighting and device charging to places without regular electricity. “Part of the learning process is for our students to understand energy poverty and learn about the community that is receiving the suitcase,” explained Ms Hoppenot.
Another suitcase was installed in a local middle school, ‘La Reference de Ganthier’, so that students can study after dark. Makesnel Ulysse, a 20-year old co-founder and administrator of the school, plans to expand into adult education. “We will now be able to use the building at night to teach how to read and write to adults who did not have the opportunity to learn at school. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Makesnel is putting his own dreams of college on hold to educate others. “He is inspiring,” said Noum Devlaminck. “He spent countless hours teaching us Kreyol and cultural facts about his beloved country.”
The visit included a celebratory graduation at College Mixte Marius Carnold, the school that KONEKTE sponsors. “It was wonderful to be invited and see the school community come together to celebrate the importance of education, an education that KONEKTE supporters make possible through donations to our teacher salary fund,” said Ms Sarvary.
This was the first year KONEKTE offered a business seminar, a rare opportunity anywhere outside the city of Port Au Prince. “We are very moved by the fact that you worked so hard to prepare these classes for us,” said participant Taika Antoine. Taika also attended the soap making class and would now like to start her own soap making business.
A highlight of the trip, for participants and the community of Ganthier, is the KONEKTE soccer tournament. “We have the families of PFC to thank for helping with the prize money and soccer balls for this year’s tournament,” explained Ms Hoppenot. “The prize money goes to the clubs for purchasing much needed balls and other equipment. The Haitians love soccer - we love watching the games as much as they love to play.”
With the help of Hillsborough Presbyterian Church, two young team participants, Eric Kinney and Celena Stoia, raised money to pay for over a hundred mosquito nets and mosquito repellent that the team distributed in the village of Kwa Kok, where residents are exposed to the fast spreading and extremely painful Chikungunya virus. The team also distributed hundreds of toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste which had been donated by Princeton area dentists.
No service trip in Haiti is complete without construction work. The team worked on the foundations for a new remote village school as well as the second floor of the Men Nan Men vocational school, a Foundation For Peace project. One trip participant, Scott Lillis, a former Princeton resident who now lives in Gwynedd Valley, PA, felt he had never worked harder in his life. “I would have never imagined how hard it is to make and transport cement with only shovels and buckets! But how rewarding it is to do this hand in hand with Haitian people! Moreover, sharing this experience with my 16-year old daughter, Ingrid, is something I will never forget,” he said.
This was the first trip to Haiti for Pennington resident, Olive Coghlan. “There was a great feeling of community, collaboration and common purpose,” she said. “This is reflected in the progress KONEKTE has made. Seeing three schools was a wonderful example of this progress; a graduation in one, classes in another as we passed cement to finish the top floor, and in a third, working alongside the community to pour cement for the foundations.”
“Our connection strengthens each time we visit,” said Ms Sarvary. “But there is so much more we can do by connecting people, schools, even businesses. And for that we need the ongoing support of the Princeton community.”
