What is happening in Haiti?
We were all set to start the Positive Periods workshop in Haiti, it had to be delayed, but not for long. The project is up and running despite the current challenges in Haiti, more about this shortly.
Here is some news about the current situation in Haiti, which you may not have seen or heard in the National News here in the U.K.
On the 7th July the president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in his home, and the first lady is in a critical condition. It is still not clear what happened and rumours abound as to who could be behind this.
Martial Law has been declared and the Dominican Republic has closed its borders with Haiti. To complicate matters, due to an extraordinary array of circumstances, there was no-one who could step in to replace the president.
The country’s constitution indicates that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, René Sylvestre, should have stepped in and taken charge. However, he was a victim of Covid-19 and died just a week before the assassination of the President. So the next in line to take over was the Prime Minister.
But which Prime Minister? Just a day or two before his death, the President had changed Prime Ministers. He had named Ariel Henry for the office but his nomination did not have time to be confirmed so he was not yet sworn in before the assassination, and neither was his new cabinet.
Only one third of parliament was functional at the time of the assassination. It would take too long to organise elections to find agreement on a replacement, so consensus was proposed by all members of other parties that Claude Joseph, the outgoing Prime Minister, would assume the role until elections can be organised. Ariel Henry contests his right to do this and claims that the national leadership should fall to him.
No one knows what is next for Haiti. The constitution doesn’t have a clause for this particular situation. There are only 10 functioning members in parliament right now so nothing in the constitution can be called on, it is certainly unchartered territory and the repercussions are felt throughout the Caribbean.
This is the 5th president in Haiti’s history who has been assassinated. The U.S. has helped in the past, and may at times have got too involved. There has been a history of outside interventions harming Haiti. There is a feeling among many Haitian groups that Haitians need to discuss together their own Haitian solution, and find a solution from the Haitian people, rather than have a solution imposed from outside.
People are still in a state of shock. With a lot of uncertainty and fear, people are understandably very uneasy right now. There is a distrust in the armed forces. Many do not want another US or UN occupation. They want the support of the international community, but don’t want unnecessary interference. They want humanitarian help, businesses are not able to function right now, and there will be difficulty to supply food and medicine at some point. Doctors Without Borders there are concerned about their safety. Schools had ended for the term, but the situation is too tense for the exams to take place.
The government is not asking for a formal occupation, just support to keep vital services open. Haiti is asking help from the OES, UN and US, to secure the vital sites like gas, airports, hospitals. They want to work on capacity building in sectors that were struggling before this event, and even more so now. Maybe it would be more beneficial for the international community to be sending key people to Haiti to help build capacity together.
As an added layer of complication in the years leading up to this, the level of violence and insecurity and active gang activity in the area of the law courts, has paralysed the justice system for the last three years. There is currently a total collapse of the judiciary institutions, the judiciary council is currently not functional.
There is also freedom of information in Haiti, but Haiti has insecurities, and freedom of information is one of the most important issues to solve at the moment too. Only ten days ago, two leading journalists were murdered in the streets and, a day or so later, sixteen civilians were massacred in broad daylight in Port-au-Prince.
The question now is; how can one assist Haiti, not control, not give charity. How can we give hope? Haiti was the pearl of the Caribbean, Haitians from all walks of life will put their minds together, they did something in the past that no-one else could do. They still have that, they will find the solution that works for them.
That’s what The Steve Sinnott Foundation is doing in Haiti. Enabling Haitians on the ground through supporting projects that will enable rather than make others reliant, giving ownership to the projects and enabling others to adapt them, make them their own and use them as their own springboard to success.
Sadly this situation is not headline news in the UK. It’s true that we have a sudden increase in Covid and there was a Football match at the time. The information in this article has come from the Haiti All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting in July 2021. We need to bring Haiti into the news and let people know what is happening there.
Steve Sinnott • July 20, 2021
Seeds of Hope are everywhere! “I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I arrived at Stage at the Lake…” But it was special to meet all of the Calderdale team in person, who had brought this four-day event together so successfully. Sometimes an event stays with you long after the final performance has finished. My visit to Stage at the Lake at the beautiful Shibden Hall in Calderdale was one of those occasions. As UNESCO ASPnet UK Coordinator, I was delighted to be invited as a guest, but what I experienced was much more than simply attending an event. Here, in the grounds of a house steeped in history, the past, present and future seemed to meet. The English Chamber Orchestra filled the setting with music, Northern Ballet brought movement and storytelling to life, and throughout there was a wonderful sense of creativity, community and possibility. And then there were the parklets; a unique gardening festival at Shibden Park celebrating community, creativity and the power of nature to bring people together. At its heart was a specially commissioned trail of ten micro show gardens, designed and built by community groups from across Calderdale. It was wonderful to see spaces where ideas, conversations and creativity were flourishing and connecting through Seeds of Hope. I cannot wait to see them transported to their ‘forever homes’. Standing there, I found myself thinking about what we mean when we talk about education, culture and hope.
2025 During the annual fomasyon for Alfa monitors, Antoliyis Pye gave an extensive presentation on how best to introduce and develop basic math concepts in literacy classes. The response to his insight and enthusiasm led to our decision to create our own math book for Alfa participants. In Haiti and around the world, illiterate market women and peasant farmers develop their own techniques for calculating and recording numbers. However, in providing literacy for the development of our people, we must also introduce the world of conventional numeracy. These skills lead to logical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to interpret and make informed decisions on numerical evidence. For a year we worked together to draft the contents of our Alfa Liv Kalkil, seek illustrations, create layout, and finally take our product to the local printer. Funds were provided for 350 copies, enough for each Alfa participant at each of our sites at the present level of attendance. 2026 Our next step was to fully engage each Alfa monitor in the process for introduction and use of Liv Kalkil in Alfa classes. Our two day fomasyon for 2026 was dedicated to ensuring that each member of our team was familiar with the book and comfortable in implementing the concepts with Alfa participants. The sessions were a great success. Every monitor was extremely pleased with this new tool which will allow them and their classes to work together in the world of mathematics. Liv Kalkil is now in service for every participant throughout Alfa, from Limonade itself out to sites in the hills and along the river. It is with some excitement that the monitors and participants are beginning to use our very own, home-grown, math book. In the same way that we already had Goute Sel*, Lekti Netale*, Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti*, we are proud to have this math book which advances our shared work for the development of our people. We are profoundly grateful to all those who have encouraged and supported us in developing this book. We want to thank our dedicated team of monitors, the Alfa support team in Columbus, Ann Beatty and the Steve Sinnott Foundation, and the many others who contribute to our literacy programme. Chancy Jak (Alfa Co-ordinator) Antoliyis Pye (senior monitor) *Goute Sel: Taste of Salt (base text for Alfa literacy classes) *Lekti Netale (reading comprehension) *Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti (stories from Haitian history; Alfa second level)
Every teacher has a time in their career when a student needs someone to listen to them instead of just a lesson plan. Schools have been preparing for that moment for far too long. That started to alter on Friday, August 7, 2026. After completing a five-day guidance and counselling program in the RED 2 West hall in Brikama, 64 educators left with certificates and something more substantial than paper. They left with a duty: to be a support system for young people negotiating the challenging realities of school and life, a listening ear for a struggling student, and a source of advice for a colleague. Why This Training Matters During the closing ceremony, union leaders and education administrators made it clear that schools need counsellors, and they need them right now. The message is grounded in reality. Today's students face an ever-more complicated array of social, emotional, financial, and personal obstacles as they enter the school each morning. Teachers are the first to notice it. They are the ones in the classroom when a youngster needs someone to notice, when a student becomes quiet, or when grades decline for no apparent reason. Guidance and counselling have traditionally been viewed as optional extras rather than essential components of a school's operations. This instruction directly challenged that notion. Counselling and guidance are not extras. It contributes to the success of a school. Five Days of Learning and Practice Over the course of the week, participants moved beyond theory into practice, building the listening skills, guidance techniques, and support strategies they'll need to respond to real situations in real time. It wasn't just about acquiring knowledge; it was about rehearsing the kind of presence that makes a difference when a student or colleague needs it most. By the final day, the room held a shared sense of purpose. Participants reflected on what the five days had given them, not only new skills, but a renewed sense of why they came into education in the first place. They thanked the funders who made the training possible and made a collective commitment: to serve with diligence, empathy, and purpose. Taking It Beyond the Training Room The real test of this training won't happen in Brikama; it'll happen in the weeks and months ahead, in classrooms, corridors, staffrooms, and communities across the region. The 64 newly certified counsellors were challenged to carry what they learned into every one of those spaces: to notice the learner who's struggling silently, to check in on the colleague who seems overwhelmed, to be the steady presence that a school community can lean on. That's the real outcome of a training like this. Not just a certificate, but a shift in what's considered normal: a school culture where guidance and counselling sit at the centre of education, not the margins.
