OLPC Haiti

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Haiti is the poorest country in the Caribbean. It is getting XOs from the Give One Get One program. Initially they will use English and standard French, but a localization into Kreyol Aiysyen has been started. The Haitian people is truly thirsty for knowledge and embraces technological changes avidly. All Haitian children speak Haitian Creole. French is used by only a minority in casual situations, although it is the language of books. Since 1979, Haitian Creole has had an official spelling and the national education reform has mandated the use of Haitian Creole in elementary grades. Many Haitian families trust tradition and continue to want French books, although educators know that in order to read a child must understand the language. There are many texts and textbooks written in Haitian Creole, but most bookstores in Haiti carry only French books. Since the 6th grade national test requires a Creole text, all schools teach reading and writing of Creole, even when French dominates instruction time. In the majority of schools, even though the books are in French, the teachers themselves are not fluent in French. Since 80% of schools in Haiti are own and run by private individuals and entities, enforcing national reform efforts is quasi impossible.

Dr. Paul Farmer of Partners in Health (Zanmi LaSanté), in addition to organizing health care for a million of the poorest Haitians, has written extensively about the history and development needs of Haiti, and was the subject of a book by Tracy Kidder, Mountains Beyond Mountains.