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Port-au-Prince, Haiti — On the morning of October 10th, the sun was shining and the heat as the gates to the Academy for Peace and Justice reopened for school. Over 700 students streamed through the gates, smiling wide and anxious to get back to work. Bryn was on the ground taking it all in — here is his update from the first week back to school!

“It has been an amazing week here at the Academy for Peace and Justice. Last week teachers from all street schools did a training session at our secondary school.  Its great to see our school used by the whole community.  The uniforms were completed by Father Rick and his St Luc programs at Francisville and look great.   We opened on Monday with 754 students and three grades.  Currently staffed with 60 full and part time teachers and 12 staff members, cooks, administrators and maintenance. The school is a real joy to see and Father Rick and his team have been working so hard to open on time.  In a country where secondary education is so scarce it is amazing to see how far we have come.”

“The surrounding community is really happy with how the building has turned out.  Everywhere I travel people stop me to tell me how beautiful the school is.  There is a pleasant look of happy surprise on their faces as they see a promise followed through.  I wish you all could be there to watch as the students see their new school for the first time.  Moving beyond words.  I couldn’t be more proud of the St Luc team and all of you for getting to this major stage.  There is so much more to do and I look forward to keeping our school growing strong.  Haiti needs it now more than ever. Go APJ!”

—Bryn

Earlier this summer, the 7th grade students at the Academy for Peace and Justice had their first graduation ceremony. It was the culmination of a great first year of school for all of the APJ students.

Excitement and elation surrounded the day as students received recognition and awards for both highest grades and best attendance. New traditions were started at the graduation ceremony, and Mr. Smith was awarded the first “Teacher of the Year” prize from the students.

The ceremony finished with a wonderful dance performance from the students. Despite the continued economic turmoil in Haiti, the Academy for Peace and Justice is an inspiring center of learning and advancement for the future leaders of Haiti. Summer school is now in session and we are looking forward to welcoming our next class in the fall.

September 7, 2010

Back to School

This October, finally the children of Haiti will return back to school. We are excited to announce that thanks to all of your support, these kids will have access to the first free secondary school in the slums. APJ has begun to build beyond the 6th grade, which has been the standard education limit of this country. We will welcome 200 7th graders to our APJ secondary school as we continue construction on the remainder of the campus. Our goal is to build a school for grades 7-13, serving approximately 1400 students, with the highest standards of functional design and safety, that utilizes solar and wind energy, includes an amphitheater, a basketball court and an edible garden. We will incorporate training in the arts, film, music and computers in addition to vocational programs in agriculture, accounting and medical assistance.

Artists for Peace and Justice believes that getting the children of the slums back to school is a crucial step in helping them rebuild their lives. By providing a safe place to learn, two meals a day, clean water and basic medical services we are investing in the children of Haiti and providing them with the tools that will benefit Haiti in the long term. APJ is confident that this secondary school campus and its programs will serve as a best practice model for future schools and contribute to the improvement of the overall education system in Haiti.
Thanks to the effectiveness of our grassroots local partners, we have been able to overcome many of the obstacles that large NGO’s are facing in Haiti. There is still so much work to be done. Our medical relief efforts are expanding to support a new family hospital and to setup a blood bank for those in need.
We thank you for your continued support of Haitian children.

Reza Nabavian M.D. and Olivia Wilde
Co-Chairs, Executive Committee, APJ Board of Directors