When an earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, computer engineer Samuel Pierre felt the need for Haitians to rebuild the country itself. By soliciting donations from the diaspora in Montreal, he launched the City of Knowledge and the Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies of Haiti (ISTEAH).
Today, a childcare center, an elementary school, soon to be a secondary school, an online university, an agricultural school, an engineering office, a student residence and a business incubator are grouped together in Milot. , near Cap-Haitien, in the north of the country.
Since 2013, ISTEAH has offered virtual university education with the help of 200 professors, most of whom are volunteers. Students are located in six cities in Haiti and they have a digital platform that displays training contents. So far, the university has produced 117 graduates, including 9 doctors.
” The initiative for the development of countries and peoples must come from the citizens of these countries, and help comes in support of all that. “
Samuel Pierre had no confidence in the help of the foreign government. He criticized the situation of Haitians as foreign aid has increased in recent years. However, he is aware that the responsibility for help is shared. “The destiny of the people is played by the people. In other words, Haiti, as a country, must take itself in hand, ”he said.
A World Bank study indicates that 83% of Haitians with higher levels of education have moved elsewhere. “Haiti is the world’s largest exporter of talent,” Samuel Pierre lamented. At first, it was to flee the dictatorship, but later, it was for economic reasons, for reasons of political instability, for today’s reasons of insecurity. “
So, Samuel Pierre and his team wanted to train a thousand academics and convince them to stay in the country.
” “To get [un nouvel] Haiti, we must first train new citizens. […] We want to build schools. This is the greatest gift a person can give to a society. “
Source: Radio-Canada
