Haiti - CENEOH

The CENEOH school was relatively untouched in the January earthquake, but was transformed into an emergency medical camp in the initial days after the quake. The AMURT team has been distributing food packages to UN delegated areas and is working with refugee camps on the outskirts of the city, dealing with youth and children.

Volunteers are currently not needed to help in the school, and only limited relief volunteers are requested. In the initial days following the earthquake, we received hundreds of volunteer applicants who flooded us with offers of support and requests to go help out. We have been doing our best to offer information and correspond with interested parties, but please be aware that we have been overwhelmed with the support offered by people and will be unlikely to be able to place more volunteers until the end of the year. If you are interested to volunteer in Haiti, and think that you have very relevant qualifications and experience please contact AMURT directly.

Introduction

CENEOH is located in Port Au Prince the capital of Haiti. CENEOH stands for Centre of Neo Humanist Education). This project is affiliated with AMURT (Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team). Our mission is to educate the children based on Neo-Humanist curriculum that fosters a sense of universalism in the students, and teaches them about the sacredness of all forms of life.

Our motto for Neo-Humanist Education is “Knowledge is that which leads to liberation.” Liberation is an experience of Universal Love, a joyful sense of Oneness with the Cosmic Consciousness. This can be realized by each human being through development of the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of our existence i.e. development of the whole personality.

Project Manager

Dada Gopalkrsnananda is the project director. He is a yoga teacher with over 13 years of experience, and has conducted service projects in South America, South Africa and Fiji.

Dada has been managing the CENEOH in Haiti since early 2007. He is fluent in English, and is very friendly and service minded. He also likes to work hard for the welfare of humanity.

About Our School

Our school brings educational and spiritual opportunities to remote and poor regions in Haiti. Most of our students come from poor families. Currently, we have approximately 250 children learning in our 9 classrooms, including nursery and primary schools. The school is staffed by 12 teachers and support staff members.

The school is one of five schools worldwide to be selected by the World Food Program to receive donations of food. The grain, beans and canned vegetables they provide will enable us to provide one meal for all the children during school hours.

Who do we need?

We need volunteers, male or female who have love for children, who can help children in the process of their learning.

We are also in need of volunteers with child education experience who can help train our teachers.

An ability to speak French will be an advantage.

Activities at the Centre

Based on the skills and background of each individual, volunteers can help in the following activities:
• Teacher’s assistant
• Painting or drawing
• Various activities with the children
• Fundraising
• Gardening
• Other school development activities.

Accomodation

This price includes food, accommodation facilities, and transportation from airport to our project. Please contact us to arrange for your visit.

Other Projects of Interest:
Apart from the main school in Port Au Prince, we also just started a new school as part of AMURT Integrated Development Project in Source Choude – Northwest of Haiti, 2 hours away from Gonaives. Please contact us for more information.

Read past volunteers experiences here