WebFirst and HavServe Form Innovative Mobile Tech Partnership to Improve Education in Haiti

Pioneering with mobile technology, HavServe and WebFirst have created a program to better address a key educational challenge in Haiti: on a national average, only 60% of Haitian children between ages six and eleven are enrolled in school and, of those, only half are given the opportunity in the rural areas. End Quote

We are working to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for education reform in rural communities in Haiti.

(1888PressRelease) September 06, 2012 - The future of any society lies in its children. In that spirit, WebFirst, Inc. and the HavServe Volunteer Network (HavServe) have formed a strategic partnership to improve classroom instruction and better evaluate teachers by collecting student data in rural communities in Haiti, using mobile technology for the upcoming school year.

WebFirst will be designing, developing and implementing an elementary school data system for rural communities in collaboration with HavServe in Haiti and will expand data collection for multiple student outcomes and help educators and stakeholders find areas for improvement. The goal is to improve data collection and analysis, which is needed to comply with the Millennium Development Goals 2 in Haiti.

HavServe CEO, Joyce M. Hunter believes this program will accomplish three major goals on the country's education reform agenda:

•The data collection will help evaluate the effectiveness of teachers and administrators
•Provide information to help legislators make well-informed decisions
•Predict primary school students difficulties to improve learning and encourage career readiness among students.

The data also will be available for legislators and other stakeholders, so they can address educational issues with an accurate picture of student challenges and performance in rural communities. Carline Brice, HavServe, Executive and Founder along with Kristin Derry, HavServe Education Program Coordinator will launch the data collection project in September 2012 and look forward to the metrics it will produce.

"I am proud of the work of HavServe in Haiti to promote access to primary education for all children and we are working to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for education reform in rural communities in Haiti," Ms. Brice comments on the program. "Utilizing mobile technology and the use of high quality data will increase the ability of stakeholders to improve instruction and student outcomes."

"We are very excited to be working with HavServe in applying mobile technologies to helping increase access to education in Haiti," said Sanjay Patel, President and CEO of WebFirst, Inc. "We feel strongly that mobile will play a key role in helping organizations to streamline data collection and assessment efforts, while increasing their ability to deploy resources where they are needed most."

The current state of the Haitian education sector is a reason for concern both for national authorities and the international community. On a national average, only 60% of Haitian children between six and eleven are enrolled in school and, of those, only half are given the opportunity in the rural areas. WebFirst and HavServe concur that this partnership will empower villagers with the education, training, and basic services necessary for them to play an ever-increasing role in determining their own futures and creating a sustainable Haiti.

Individuals interested in learning more about HavServe, its programs and partnerships, are welcome to contact HavServe CEO Joyce M. Hunter at info ( @ ) HavServe dot org

Links:
http://webfirst.com/casestudies/havserve
To volunteer: http://www.havserve.org/soccer.php.
To donate: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/havserves-youth-soccer-program-in-haiti/.
To follow: http://www.havserve.org/blog/

About HavServe:
HavServe Volunteer Service Network (HavServe) is a volunteer-driven not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that supports community-led development through volunteerism in least developed countries. HavServe believes that volunteerism benefits both society and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity, cooperation, and reciprocity among citizens, and by creating opportunities to empower citizens to realize their potentials and shape the direction of their communities, their country, and the world. The name, HavServe, comes from the understanding that if you have, you serve. (www.HavServe.org/blog)

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