About the children The Vassar Haiti Project is an all-volunteer organization at Vassar College that was founded nine years ago by Andrew Meade, director of international services and special projects at Vassar with the initial purpose of constructing a primary school in the village of Chermaitre in northwest Haiti. Today, the project has 100 members and maintains its initial commitment to funding primary education. Chermaitre, unreachable by road, sits in the mountains of rural northwest Haiti. About 275 children attend primary school in the village. Beginning in fall 2008, classes were being held in a new 7-room school built entirely with Vassar Haiti project funding. Classes were previously held in a one-room, bare-earthed building. One of the primary goals of the Vassar Haiti Project is to raise money to support education and sustainability in the village. Culture, art and music have been a very important part of the organization for the education of the children. Under the Partnership's supervision, a local Episcopalian priest oversees work aimed at improving education and exploring ways to make the villages more sustainable. They now work with Pere Louis Touissant Rosanas. The Vassar Haiti Project generates the majority of its revenue from the auction and sale of Haitian artwork and crafts, which is first purchased from the craftsmen at market price, providing them with an important source of income. The paintings reach them as unstretched canvases. By stretching them in-house, possible only through the efforts of a committed team of volunteers comprising Vassar students and members of the local community, they are able to turn a profit that goes towards the construction and operation of the school in Chermaitre. Additionally, a significant amount of aid is received in the form of gifts and donations. The Vassar Haiti Project also pursues partnership efforts to improve reforestation, education, access to clean water, and healthcare in the village. These initiatives include planting thousands of fruit and coffee trees on the hillsides, establishing water collection and purification systems, and opening the first medical clinic last year. After the earthquake of January 12, 2010, the school size increased from 275 children to 340. The impact of the quake happened on a radius of 100 miles from Port-au-Prince. Haiti is the size of the state of Maryland. It's like if the population was moving away from the impact location throughout the state. Sixteen members of the Vassar Haiti Project brought over a thousand pounds of donated supplies to Haiti over spring break. The Holy Trinity Music School in Port-au-Prince and all its musical instruments were destroyed in the earthquake. The school was home to Haiti's sole concert hall. The Vassar Haiti project organized a concert in order to help restore this essential part of Haiti's musical culture, and through the healing power of music, to recover from its many losses. Over the past nine years, The Vassar Haiti Project support many projects for the children of Haiti. Checks can be made out to "Otello Foundation" Otello Foundation P.O Box 1113 Flemington, NJ 08822 Money raised will go to the Children of Haiti. Please, visit the website at Vassar Haiti Project for further information. Back to top