Six hundred students in Jacmel are on the verge of becoming the luckiest kids in town.
Ground was finally broken this past week for a new public school, École Nationale Jacob Martin Henriquez, which will serve about 600 students, from kindergarten through Grade 7 when it opens next January. This isn't just any old school though. Sponsored by the U.S.-based Honeywell corporation, the school will have a modern computer lab, library, five classrooms and will be constructed with “sustainable building methods” to withstand future earthquakes and hurricanes. It will also host workshops for Haitian builders to help bring them up to speed on modern building standards and regulations and environmentally friendly tricks to help save money and natural resources.
Part of a $1-million donation Honeywell has put toward relief work in Haiti, the school has been exciting city officials for months (See the video Honeywell made featuring scenes from Jacmel and an interview with its Mayor, Edo Zenny, below.)
Aside from being a generous donation, the Honeywell project is a sign that officials in Jacmel are having some success with their marketing efforts – for months they've been trying to figure out how to attract corporate donors to their city, which is accustomed to being overlooked by aid organizations taking their cues from power brokers in Port-au-Prince.
So why did Honeywell choose Jacmel?
“Because we found a partner in the mayor who was committed and transparent in getting the right work done quickly,” said Tom Buckmaster, president of the company’s corporate citizenship initiative.
That’s clearly not the whole story … but it’s good for the people of Jacmel.
