Sustainability, English, and Art in Desab
Haiti
Art
Education
Environment
Art
Education
+1
Permanent
About the project
Sustainability, English, and Art in Desab
📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Volunteers For Peace is excited to continue our support and connection with Institution Mixte du Progres primary school in Desab, Haiti. This is a school approximately 300 children ages 5-13 (with some being much older) in a very rural setting about an hour north of Port au Prince. The school director and teachers are excited to expand the English language offered to their students and implement a sustainability curriculum in the school. In addition they recognize the great benefit of cultural exchange and additional extra curricular activities provided by volunteers. VFP has a long and strong relationship with this community and looks forward to deepening it with a focus on sustainability.
💼 What the programme involves
Volunteers will be using provided English and Sustainability curriculum to teach students in the class during their regular school day. Volunteers will be required to meet in person in Vermont or via SKYPE 2 (or more) times during the summer to plan the activities. The Sustainability curriculum has been provided by Shelburne Farms in Vermont and we will work to identify and adapt lessons that will work best in Haiti.
During the school day you will be moving between classrooms as individuals or in groups to teach the English and/or Sustainability curriculum. What and how you teach will depend on the skill and interest of the volunteers at any given time. You will have interpreters to work with you.
After school hours volunteers will provide extra curricular opportunities to the kids based on skills and interest you have. Maybe you will teach yoga, dance, drama, art, music, sports...
The community also very much appreciates English lessons being offered each evening and we would like to continue that tradition.
Some sustainability work may take place outside the school day or on the weekend and may involve planting seeds, working in local gardens, planting trees, working on the road, improving water access or other community decided activities.
🏠 Accommodation on site
During your time in Desab you will stay in a dormitory next to the school. Accommodations are very simple, there is no running water, meals will be prepared by community members with the help of volunteers. Beds with mattresses and sheets are provided. There is a generator and solar panel for electricity. Showers are taken in the open air! There is an outhouse for the volunteers.
Volunteers will stay in the TCHAKA Inn in Port au Prince for the last and last day of the project and other times they may want to spend in Port au Prince to explore the capitol city. This inn is located in Port au Prince and is a safe and exciting way to experience the city and compare it to Desab. The inn has beds with mattresses, pillows, sheets and towels. There are 2 indoor toilets with showers but no hot water. The inn is located in the home of a VFP family and there is a lot of opportunity to interact with the children and other family members, cook together, and experience life in Haiti.
Two meals are provided each day. They are typical Haitian meals and center around rice and beans as well as fruit and vegetables that are in season. Both locations have Biosand water filters to ensure clean drinking water.
📍 About the location
Most of your free time will be spent sharing culture and friendship with local community members and kids! There will be opportunities to hike to a waterfall, attend church, play soccer and participate in other community activities.
Depending on the time you have and your desire we can build in a tour of Port au Prince or other areas of Haiti.
There will be one or more opportunities to visit the Caribbean ocean and a day at the beach. It is really beautiful and a relaxing change from the rural mountain area where you will be serving.
⚠️ Requirements
Extra fee is payable to Volunteers For Peace one month before start date. $400 for first month and $350 for each consecutive month.
ℹ️ Additional information
We can accept volunteers for as short as a week or as long as 3 months in this location.
Volunteers must be self-motivated and eager to engage with the students, teachers and community of Desab.
Please include your motivation, experience living in remote settings, experience with agriculture or environmental projects or organizations, and ideas of activities you would like to share on your registration form. Knowledge of French or Creole very helpful.
VFP does not provide insurance for this program. you may want to purchase travel insurance for your trip to Haiti.
Volunteers must pay for an arrange their transportation to Port au Prince, Haiti.
Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.
Sign in to apply📅 Available sessions
VFPHAITI02-16
01/01/2016 → 31/12/2016
Volunteers registered
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ℹ️ Key information
Age required
18–99 years old
Solidarity donation
400.00 USD ≈ 358 EUR
French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).
📍 Location
Haiti
Haiti
🌍 Location info
Local currency
Haitian Gourde (HTG / G)
Exchange rate
1 HTG = 0.006849 EUR
Rate as of 31/05/2026
🛡️ Before you leave
✅ Features
🗣️ Languages spoken
English
Haitian Creole