Software Donations Aid School in Impoverished Haitian Village
The mission of All the Children Are Children (ATCAC) is to provide basic education, food, clothing, and health care to disadvantaged children.
ATCAC operates a school in Guyotin-Coco, one of the poorest rural communities in Haiti. The school and the village have no running water, electricity, transportation, or even health care. To get water requires a walk of several miles to a mountain and back. The school has about 300 students who attend classes in a one-room building that can accommodate only 30 children. The remaining students must hold classes outside underneath trees if weather permits. The school has a staff of only five teachers, making the student-teacher ratio about 60 to 1.
ATCAC seeks to help disadvantaged young people develop the skills to become self-sufficient and constructive members of society. The organization provides training in work skills, social skills, and health education taught by professionals. It offers classes in art, tailoring, mechanics, carpentry, masonry, technology, dentistry, nursing, electrical, and music among other subjects.
ATCAC has leveraged several Microsoft donations that it received through TechSoup to achieve its mission. Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010, Word, and PowerPoint are used to administer the school, educate students, and communicate with donors. The software has enabled the staff to engage stakeholders boldly and very effectively.
