Change Lives with English Education

From recently buying a second plot of land, to celebrating its first ever graduating class, it’s turning out to be a fantastic end to 2015 for the English In Mind (EIM) Institute in Haiti.

In our last report we introduced EIM’s International Director, Stephanie Price. We asked Steph to provide this latest update and here’s what she had to say:

“We have so much to be grateful for at EIM. Just last month we officially closed on a second piece of property, doubling the size of our land and providing a large enough foundation on which to build the school of our dreams. Although waiting to buy more land has delayed construction, we feel it was the best move to meet both our current needs and our goals for the future as well. Already, EIM students are using our existing, lush property for gardening, outdoor classes and special events. And more space is needed.

In September we also held our annual new student admission process and the turnout was unbelievable. Over 300 people poured into EIM in hopes of gaining a place in our school. After an extensive testing period, we were able to admit 90 new students, including 2 new beginner classes – one for men and one for women. We’re hoping that by separating these classes by gender, especially in the beginning, our female students will be able to better encourage one another, and hopefully stick with the program through the end. Already, we’re seeing very high attendance levels in all of our 2015-2016 classes.

Our trips also continued to thrive in 2015, as we were able to offer 8 different volunteer and tourism based trips for foreigners to work with EIM students, and enjoy this beautiful country. Over the summer, 6 EIM students were also selected and trained up to be trip leaders. This fall, they partnered with our international leaders to host their first trips and earned rave reviews from participants. We don’t know how we ever did it without them!

Finally, on November 28th, EIM celebrated our first ever graduation. 11 incredible students took the stage in front of family and friends, earning their diplomas and marking the end of our rigorous 5-year program. Hearing the speeches by teachers, students and friends alike, we were all reminded of just how far we’ve come at EIM. What started as a simple language exchange in 2010, really has become one of the top English institutes in Haiti. Wow.”

EIM really has had a fantastic 2015 and your generous support has played a big part in that. And there’s still time in the weeks ahead to make EIM’s year really end with bang!

For example, there’s match funding available for any new recurring donations set up via GlobalGiving during December. On the US GlobalGiving site your initial donation will receive a 100% match after four months (a limit of $200 applies). On the UK site the terms are the same but the matching limit is £100.

Recurring donations are particularly amazing, as they allow EIM to plan ahead more effectively. But we would obviously also be very grateful for any further one time gifts you might be able to make as the Holiday season continues.

As always, if you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email Andy@IDVolunteers.org. I would be delighted to hear from you.