#2101: reliable organisations? A reply

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: chris-shelane <chris-shelane_at_a01-000-000@gs-server.globelsud.net>


Dear list members,

this subject seems to have died down a little, but I hope you will forgive 
me for coming back to it: worthwhile organisations in Haiti for giving 
assistance to.

A friend of mine Pasteur Matthieu Ciceron runs a school in Cite Solino, a 
very poor area near the bottom of Delmas in Port-au-Prince. The school fees 
are low, and Matthieu tells me he doesn't throw kids out whose parents 
don't pay. The standard of teaching is probably quite a bit higher than the 
standard for the area - you may have heard the term 'ecole borlette' - 
borlette means gambling shop. Many schools in such areas, with the kind of 
school fees which parents in those areas can afford, might fall into this 
category. Matthieu's pupils have above average results in state exams. And 
his teachers have received training from FOKAL, a non-profit organisation 
funded by George Soros' Open Societies group.

Now he is looking to improve his teachers' pay, and in the long term, set 
up a vocational school, to give courses in sewing, tailoring and car 
mechanics.

What it comes down to when deciding to give money to a small, unknown 
organisation in Haiti is, can I trust this organisation? I won't make any 
categoric declarations with regard to Pasteur Matthieu. All I can say is 
that I have known him for a while, I've visited the school, and I've seen 
his house - not exactly the residence of someone who had made himself rich 
from activities in the 'non-profit sector'.

All I can say is that it's always a risk  - even if you give you money to a 
highly reputable international organisation.

If you are interested you may want to read the funding proposal Matthieu 
has made up, which I can send to anyone by e-mail who writes to me at 
<chris-shelane@globelsud.net>.

Chris Chapman