Thanks so much to everyone who took advantage of GlobalGiving’s most recent matching day. Your gifts on the 23rd were a third more valuable– and that has made all the difference for students like Louis.
If you’re like us, you’re starting to think about the holiday season. The holidays are a time of joy – but for many of us they’re also incredibly busy! Before the end of year rush starts, we wanted to pause for a moment and thank you for everything you’ve given over the last year.
Because of you, not only has EIM continued to provide high quality education over the last year – it’s grown. With your support, we were able to welcome new students like 48 year old Vional.
Vional has always struggled to find a job and support his family because he lacks vocational skills. He joined EIM in August 2013 because he wants to develop the skills he needs to find gainful employment.
Vional’s message on how learning English will help him is simple: “I will use English to help my community and feed my family.”
Vional isn’t the only student who uses English in his community. English speakers have the ability to communicate with NGOs about support for their communities. Put another way, English is a bridge between communities in need and the NGOs that can help them. That bridge allows communities to advocate for their own needs.
Vional is one of dozens of students who joined the school in 2013 – but not a single one of them would be getting an education without you.
There are so many things you could have spent your hard earned money on over the last year, but you chose to support EIM. Your generosity is giving 150 people living in poverty a path to a brighter future. Thanks so much!
As always, if you ever have any questions about how your donation is changing lives, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing Emma@IDVolunteers.org. We’d love to hear from you!
Thanks again for your generosity, and our very warmest regards!
Thanks to your generosity, the English in Mind Institute continues to change the lives of adults living in poverty in Port au Prince, Haiti.
One of the unique features of EIM and English language skills in general is that students don’t even need to finish a multi-year course for their language skills to start improving their lives.
For example, take the 33-year-old beginner student who recently filled in our anonymous student survey. He’s just coming to the end of his first year of learning English. He’s still a beginner, and speaks only basic phrases, but they’re already helping him earn a more prosperous living. Here’s how:
"I have a little store where I sell drink and food provisions. I use the little English I have as bridge with the foreign people [in my area]. I sell a lot of [soda] and beers because of my English!"
We hear stories like this one all the time – and you made them all possible! Thanks so much for all you’ve given to EIM.
The students are busy preparing for their end of year exams, and we’re confident that, despite some nerves, they’ll do wonderfully! Exams mark the end of the school year at EIM, and that means we’re starting to think about admitting more students next year.
How many students we can admit depends entirely on funding. Happily, thanks to GlobalGiving, it’s now 30% easier to ensure that EIM keeps growing and changing lives. Tomorrow, GlobalGiving will match your donations by 30%! That means that if you give just $13.75, we’ll be able to give a student like Osnard a month of English education!
We hope you’ll give what you can tomorrow and share this project with friends and family.
Thanks so much, and very kind regards!
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who voted for our photo during GlobalGiving’s photo contest! While we didn’t win, we did finish well into the top half of the competition. Your show of support on Facebook was a real inspiration to our students. Many of them use Facebook, and saw the many shares and posts in support of their school!
The students are now counting down to their exams in September. Students like Rose are studying hard – “The exams are demanding – if you pass it means you really know your English!”
Students who pass their exams will move on to the next level in 2014. Those who don’t pass on their first attempt will get a retake. If they don’t pass on the second try, they’ll repeat the year.
As we start planning the 2014 school year, we’re also looking at our waiting list. There are more than 150 students hoping to join EIM in 2014. How many of them we can enrol depends entirely on funding.
It costs about $250 to give a student a year of education, so for every $250 we raise, we can welcome another student from the waiting list.
This September, we hope you’ll help us welcome more students by fundraising here on GlobalGiving. Not only will your fundraising efforts change lives in Haiti, but each fundraiser who raises more than $500 will be entered into a raffle for fabulous prizes – like airline tickets and a flip cam!
That makes September a great month to fundraise for EIM. You could cycle, bake, walk or even shave your head to raise funds and win prizes! If you’d like tips on how best to fundraise don’t hesitate to visit www.IDVolunteers.org/fundaise-idv or email Emma@IDVolunteers.org.
Once you’ve decided how much you’d like to raise and how you want to raise it you can create your fundraising page here. Don’t forget to add our project as the beneficiary of your efforts once you’ve created your page! Again, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email Emma@IDVolunteers.org.
Thanks so much, and very warm regards!
Fantastic news! A photo of the English in Mind Institute (EIM) has been chosen as a finalist in GlobalGiving’s annual photo contest. The winning photo will receive $1,000 and your votes decide the winner!
We love this photo because it wasn’t taken by a professional photographer. It wasn’t even posed. It was snapped on the iPhone of a volunteer named Natalie who just happened to click the shutter at the right moment.
The photo she’s taken is inspiring it because it captures the joy and excitement that our students feel every day that they come to class at EIM. It captures their hope for a brighter future.
The $1,000 prize on offer could give three students a year of school or pay for nine months of teacher training for a talented student. It’s a big deal, so we hope that you’ll vote today and share this great opportunity on social media as well!
Voting lasts until July 30th, but we hope you’ll vote right now and get us off to an early lead! Thanks so much and very warm regards!
We wanted to write you today to thank you for your fantastic response to our call for donations on June 12th. With matching, $3,105 was donated in a single day!
One of the most inspiring parts of our success on June 12th was that everyone who gave was a repeat donor to English education in Haiti. That means that, before we asked you to give on June 12th, you had already funded English education for Bengie so that she can find work and achieve her dream of sending her son to college.
But despite all you had already given, when we asked on June 12th, you gave again. And because of that extraordinary generosity, we’ll be able to keep 150 students learning the skills they need to find dignified, living wage employment.
Your ongoing generosity is changing lives in Port au Prince. Thanks so much, and we can’t wait to update you on future successes!
Links:
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