APA Decade of Impact 2014-2024 (English) by Anseye Pou Ayiti

In Our Hands:

Celebrating Ten Years of Collective Action 2 01 4 -2 024 I MPACT REPO RT

ANSEYE POU AYITI

Contents 2

Letter from Our CEO

About Anseye Pou Ayiti

Championing Change With Communities

Creating Lasting Solutions as a Community

Hand-in-Hand: What Co-Leading a Movement Looks Like

10 Phase 1: Joining Hands to Foster Excellence in Classrooms 14 Phase 2: Sharing Loads and Triumphs 19 The Future in Our Hands

Anseye Pou Ayiti is a Haitian-led movement for true liberation. Ten years ago, we joined hands to build the Anseye Pou Ayiti (APA) movement. We have so far reached the lives of over 18,000 students across Haiti and raised passing rates to more than twice the national average as a result. This impact was made possible by allies like you, who supported APA to surge forward and overcome the challenges faced throughout our journey. “Men anpil, chay pa lou (Many hands make the load light)” embodies the spirit of collective action which APA was built upon. It is the Kreyòl proverb that inspired this report, a journey through time honoring the people who stood in solidarity with us and pushed us toward the educational transformation that we set out to make. I invite you to take my hand and go on this journey of reflection together as we cherish the memories, moments, and communities that helped us grasp a brighter future for Haiti’s children. In the end, I hope we remain hand in hand, facing forward as we work together to reach true educational equity and liberation for Haiti. With sincere gratitude,

Nedgine Paul Deroly Co-Founder & CEO Letter from Our CEO 2

2014–2024 Impact Report

Together, we redefine leadership to create an equitable education system based on shared history, values, and vision. Haiti is a nation of leaders who build solutions for their own communities. Anseye Pou Ayiti (APA) channels the Haitian hallmark of local leadership and collective action into sustainable, countrywide transformation. APA co-leads a movement for fostering community agency and transforming Haiti’s education system as a lever toward liberation. Each member of the community is a force behind the levers, as we create a network of teachers, parents, and school leaders joined by a common goal to decolonize education at the root.

ANSEYE POU AYITI

ABOUT

Championing Change with Communities By design, Haiti’s education system reinforces systemic inequities due to vestiges of our colonial past. APPROXIMATELY, 70% OF THE POPULATION LIVES IN RURAL HAITI, WHERE:

LESS THAN 30% OF STUDENTS COMPLETE PRIMARY SCHOOL

ONLY 20% OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS RECEIVE FORMAL TRAINING

ONLY 1% REACH UNIVERSITY

Haiti’s potential to thrive shines through when we rid our systems of education inequity, learning methods devoid of cultural assets, the preference of French over Haitian Kreyòl, the disregard for civics education, and corporal punishment in classrooms. Education that champions Haitian culture, history, and identity is the most effective channel for stronger citizenry. The Haitian Revolution transformed the world. A revolution for educational justice is our essential next step. At APA, we’ve seen that local communities are driven by our shared mission to dismantle inequities and injustices. Ten years of movement building solidified our belief that changing Haiti’s narrative is in no one else’s hands but our own. That’s why we equip a new generation of civic leaders who are proud of their Haitian identity and define true leadership as rooted in collective action.

Read more: Haiti’s Education System is Broken... By Design

2014–2024 Impact Report

“What makes me happiest about working at APA is the feeling that I am working for myself – for my community. In APA, I feel useful because I am working for a better tomorrow, for a new Haiti.” – Michele Montout, APA staff member

ANSEYE POU AYITI

PROGRAMMING

Creating Lasting Solutions as a Community APA co-creates solutions with teachers, parents, and school leaders, breaking down the wall between classroom and community. Since 2014, we have engaged our partner communities in Gros-Morne, Gonaives, Hinche, Boucan-Carré, and Mirebalais through our fellowship programming. Transformation through our programming started in each individual classroom, spread across schools, and is now passed on to the entire community.

Recruitment

Coaching and Observation Sessions Community coaches lead biweekly sessions that cover holistic approaches to education, as well as students’ psychosocial development and learning.

Immersion Training Teacher leaders participate in a 4-week training, which includes classroom instruction during summer school alongside peers and APA staff.

Professional and Leadership Development Workshops For teacher leaders, workshop modules throughout the school year focus on student-centered, contextspecific teaching techniques.

APA recruits cohort members with lived experiences of inequity. Our three-cohort approach allows teachers leaders, parents leaders, and school leaders to collaborate in one movement, and avoid working in silos. Together, the cohorts develop the capacity to reshape the education system and lead community transformation.

All three cohorts have come together and gained a deeper understanding of how they are all part of one movement. For parent leaders and school leaders, training includes observing event and project planning to inform their own community initiatives.

For parent leaders and school leaders, workshops focus on both community leadership strategies and APA’s pedagogical techniques to ensure that the cohorts are equipped to amplify our teacher leaders’ approach.

2014–2024 Impact Report

Progress Monitoring

Community Activities Alumni ambassadors conduct “konbits” to engage a wide range of community members to create solutions together. A konbit has historical and cultural significance in Haiti, usually representing collective action to achieve a common goal. Other activities further advancing APA’s community-centered mission include:

IMPACT-TO-DATE

613 teacher leaders, parent leaders, and school leaders

Biweekly and quarterly, APA tracks student progress based on schoollevel and APA-specific assessments. APA has recently developed data collection platforms for parent leaders and school leaders, which will track skills specific to their roles in education equity.

▶ Campaigns to eliminate corporal punishment

83% average passing rate across

classrooms, more than twice the national average of 41%

remained in education

▶ Kreyòl Text Competitions, where original writing showcases Haiti’s history, culture, and identity

10 alumni ambassadors creating

▶ MagAPA, a periodic magazine with articles by alumni ambassadors and current cohort members

▶ APA Conferences for gathering and catalyzing joint community efforts

Over 18,000 students reached

95% of alumni ambassadors

▶ Radio programs on instructional excellence, health, and safety

▶ Entrepreneurship Pitch Competitions that connect alumni ambassadors to established Haitian entrepreneurs

equipped

Community-level progress is based on the impact and collective action of parents and school leaders, as well as the cross-sector indicators related to students’ well-being (such as health, food security, and safe housing).

impact in the Ministry of Education

1,160 community members mobilized for

konbits since inaugural APA konbit in December 2018

116 school partnerships

Recommended reading: How one organization is helping Haiti’s families transcend a failing, colonial education system

ANSEYE POU AYITI

OVERVIEW

Hand-in-Hand: What Co-Leading a Movement Looks Like

When we draw from our shared experiences and join forces, we lead the change we want to see. The strength of our movement is in the coming together of people, achieved by scaling deep across our partner communities. We believe that solutions can be created and sustained at the classroom and community levels by investing in local leadership in the long-term rather than merely increasing coverage.

Nelson Hilaire, a 2018 cohort member, spent his days as a journalist and a law graduate before he realized his passion in teaching. His student, Lovelie, spent over three years unschooled due to an illness. Nelson caught her up on past curriculums, connecting all lessons to her daily life and dream of becoming a teacher. Making the content relatable enabled Lovelie to study more effectively, and now, she’s back at school excelling in mathematics, social sciences, and experimental science.

2014–2024 Impact Report

Our Communities

The movement toward educational justice is co-led by local civic leaders who have first-hand experience of the oppressive systems they aim to dismantle. Not only do they have an intimate understanding of their communities’ challenges, but they also have their own ideas and own solutions to them.

Gros-Morne

19 PARTNER SCHOOLS 93 CIVIC LEADERS

Where Bony Exantus lived, trash tended to pile up and create hazards on the paths to school or work. Harnessing his learnings as a 2018 cohort member, he brought his community together by launching a clean-up initiative. The success of the first clean-up led them to conduct it annually. Community members, including students, expressed eagerness to maintain the cleaner surroundings. Together, they are even exploring other improvements such as installing electric lights around their neighborhoods for visibility at night.

Hinche

13 PARTNER SCHOOLS 79 CIVIC LEADERS

Gonaïves

45 PARTNER SCHOOLS 213 CIVIC LEADERS

Boucan Carré

8 PARTNER SCHOOLS 21 CIVIC LEADERS

Mirebalais

31 PARTNER SCHOOLS 192 CIVIC LEADERS

ANSEYE POU AYITI

PHASE I

Joining Hands to Foster Excellence in Classrooms Reaching for a brighter future, Phase 1 (2014-2020) equipped teacher leaders with the skills needed to propel educational justice.

2014–2024 Impact Report

Our Challenges

The APA movement gained momentum and together, we built a system based on Haiti’s cultural identity which enabled us to prevail over deeply ingrained challenges. Education inequity: Haitians are unable to complete their education especially in rural and underserved areas, resulting in fewer opportunities for professional success.

Education echoes Haiti’s colonial past: French remains a medium of instruction, while corporal punishment is still present in Haitian classrooms. Civics education as a subject has been removed from the national curriculum.

Political unrest and economic hardship: Protests, gang violence, and the country’s double-digit inflation rate cause disruptions at schools in APA communities, making it harder to create environments conducive to learning.

To these challenges, we say

“men anpil, chay pa lou. (many hands make the load light.)”

Our Approach

In our first six years, we built up instructional excellence through a two-year fellowship program where teacher leaders learned core facets of the APA approach. As a movement for Haitians and by Haitians, we worked with local schools to increase the number of teacher leaders across Haiti. We also contributed to the improvement of the quality of education on a national scale. Through our shared effort, Phase 1 paved the way for greater impact in the next phases.

OUR CORE FACETS

Culturally-driven teaching style that encourages student learning rooted in the Haitian identity

Healing-informed pedagogy that draws on past experiences of injustice and trauma, and uses them to create lasting solutions focused on student well-being

Teaching methods rooted in mutual respect and growth for both students and teacher leaders

ANSEYE POU AYITI

PHASE I

Our Collective Successes From 15 to

SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS From 30 to

230

TEACHER LEADERS AND ALUMNI AMBASSADORS From 670 to over

11,000

STUDENTS REACHED

95%

ALUMNI AMBASSADORS REMAIN IN EDUCATION 15 promoted to school leaders 10 working in the Ministry of Education

Awards & Recognitions Profiled by the Center for Education Innovations

Custom data mobile application through a partnership with Dimagi, Inc. to track valuable data that helps us take big steps towards transforming Haiti’s educational system

APA’s co-founder, Nedgine Paul Deroly, in Forbes’ 2016 30 Under 30: Social Entrepreneurs 2014 Global Fellowship with Echoing Green

Community campaigns and “Aprann ak radyo” radio program for distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Watch: Obama Foundation Summit

2018 Fellowship from Obama Foundation

2014–2024 Impact Report

PHASE 1

The People Behind Phase 1 of the APA Movement Fostering the excellence of teacher leaders was made possible by allies who shared our vision of educational justice. Highlights of what our partnerships were able to achieve in Phase 1 include: Co-facilitating workshops on creating safe school environments and promoting positive discipline with InnovEd, Fondation Felicitée, and Tipa Tipa

Conducting social and emotional learning (SEL) workshops with La Ressource

Collaborating with the Haitian Ministry of Education to integrate APA’s culturally responsive teaching/ coaching approach for 65 partner schools

APA Phase 1 was an exciting first step as people from different backgrounds came together and worked with us to begin the cultural revolution that we envisioned. We want to highlight stories of changemakers who lent a hand during this period:

Fleurinord Deristil

Job Moise

Student Leader

2019 Teacher Leader Cohort

2015 Teacher Leader Cohort

Daphneed improved her speaking and collaborative skills through learning from teacher leaders for 2 years. Group activities with fellow students also taught her the importance of working together and the idea of collective action that APA was built on. Daphneed's time with APA enabled her to envision a future that she wanted for herself.

After completing two years of APA professional development, Fleurinord transformed his way of teaching in the classroom. He now uses a method he calls positive regulation, encouraging students to learn and connect with others in a supportive environment.

Job, from Gros-Morne, has been teaching since 2011. After joining APA’s 2015 cohort, he made positive changes in how he taught students. Initially using presentation-focused strategies that emphasized talking a lot and improving his own skills, Job later came to understand that everything is done not for teachers, but for the students.

Daphneed Emmanuela Leon

“What I like the most about our teacher leaders is that they are our friends. They don’t hit us when we misbehave, instead they take time to talk to us in a way to help us understand.” Daphneed was inspired to realize her dreams after seeing the dedication that teacher leaders poured into teaching. She continues to work as a local leader, spurred by the goal of empowering her family and community — just as APA did for her.

“It is a great pride for me as a civic leader and an APA alumni ambassador to be able to celebrate this moment… In less than 10 years, APA has already changed many people to make them real leaders working for a new generation. I feel proud to celebrate this day.” Fleurinord saw how APA transformed the student’s feelings towards school, creating a culture of appreciation where they develop skills together. APA’s belief in collective action has inspired students to believe in themselves and the success that can be achieved when working together.

“It is with great pride that I am celebrating 10 years, because APA started with me in 2015. I am still fighting today because I see change. It will come little by little. I am waiting to live the change and to participate in the change.” Job has seen firsthand the APA program’s effect on children – now they show more love to their teachers, have stronger homework habits and comprehension, and quickly adapt to lessons. He believes that while APvA’s work to achieve true education equity is not easy, every hand that joins in helps bring positive change for the current generation.

ANSEYE POU AYITI

PHASE II

Sharing Loads and Triumphs Beyond overcoming challenges together, Phase 2 is about our partner communities standing proud as models of collective action.

2014–2024 Impact Report

Our goal in Phase 2 (2020–2025) is to develop community-level proof points. Parent leaders, teacher leaders, school leaders, and students tap into their capacities as changemakers to show us what it looks like when an entire community works collectively toward education equity and social justice. While Haiti faced serious challenges from 2020–2022, these years were also years of great achievement as collective action kept communities pushing forward. The COVID-19 pandemic caused constraints on mobility and gathering, loss of income, and risks to community health, while political unrest heightened due to gang violence and President Moïse’s assassination. Threats to health and safety, school closures, and disruptions to everyday life didn’t stop APA civic leaders from spearheading change alongside APA and our supporters. We continued to put our trust in and invest in communities’ peace makers, solution bearers, and justice seekers. In the face of challenges, these local leaders led initiatives that prove that Haiti’s power and potential go beyond today’s headlines. Now more than ever, the strength of community bolsters each individual in every hurdle and every success. It’s this powerful allyship that has enabled us to advance with our Phase 2 priorities.

Our Priorities

Strengthening collective leadership through fellowship programming Reinforcing movement building activities and fostering collaboration among teacher leaders, parent leaders, and school leaders.

Magnifying impact through collaborative and responsive coaching APA’s newest initiative – investing in community coaches rooted in mutual respect and growth, and building a network of coaches across sectors whose impact will apply beyond the classroom.

Data-driven, community-centered decision making Piloting data collection platforms and conducting a total assessment of data since 2015 to track community needs and our program’s strengths, which inform our plans to transform the education system on a national scale.

ANSEYE POU AYITI

PHASE II

Our Collective Successes From 90 to

116

SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS From 230 to

613

CIVIC LEADERS ENGAGED From 11,000 to

18,000

STUDENTS REACHED

Accreditation from the Haitian Ministry of Education National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals: Haitian Leaders Spotlight 2021 Dial Fellowship with the Emerson Collective 2021 WISE Awards finalist

ALUMNI AMBASSADORS CREATING IMPACT IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

100+

CIVIC LEADERS CERTIFIED IN CPR AND FIRST AID

Expansion of parent leader and school leader fellowship in Gros-Morne and Hinche Launch of the community coach residency program Integration of holistic learning with mental and socioemotional health in the APA curriculum Deeper and impactful engagement through APA’s new blog

Read more: Emerson Collective’s Dial Fellowship

Awards & Recognitions

2021 Inter-American Development Bank and 2020 HundrED’s Spotlight: 21st Century Skills in Latin America and the Caribbean 2023 HundrED Global Collection Haiti Teacher of the Year award for alumni ambassadors 2 years in a row

APA’s work has come a long way from conducting our first listening tours across Haiti to co-creating deep change with communities. There have been significant achievements throughout phases of the movement, and we still strive to create more system-wide impact alongside civic leaders.

2014–2024 Impact Report

PHASE II

Beyond the Numbers Collective action thrives within and extends beyond APA’s five partner communities. Over the years, we’ve been able to harness strengths across Haiti and the world. Our partnerships throughout Phase 2 demonstrate that collaboration is the best strategy for lasting systemic change. Partnership Highlights

Worked in 18 public schools

Closed the digital divide in

Contributed to an online

and designed the community

learning by co-planning a

archive of Kreyòl learning

coach residency program

pilot program with peers and

materials for Haitian students

with the Haitian Ministry of

Digital Promise

and educators with the

Education “[APA’s mission] makes students more responsible and at ease with the work that must be done to change the country. [...] when students develop leadership and practical values of inclusion, tolerance, and honesty, they’re able to intervene more effectively with the ongoing process of changing Haiti.” Diquessi Germain, Deputy Departmental Director, Ministry of National Education

MIT-Ayiti Initiative “APA’s work has leaned on the science of learning and development – on leadership development focused on teacher and student. [APA’s] work with Digital Promise has the potential to inform the work of hybrid and remote learning across the world.” Jean-Claude Brizard, President and CEO of Digital Promise

“APA is a remarkable Haitianled organization that shares our commitment to culturally-responsive education and systemic change through distributed community-based leadership. Their deep understanding of the local context, strong networks and grassroots-driven approach have greatly contributed to their success. Through this partnership, we are hoping to mutually reinforce our efforts and share our resources in ways that directly empower local educators and impact Haitian schools.” Michel DeGraff, Director of MITHaiti Initiative and Professor of Linguistics