Inclusive Education in Haiti
Funded by Making a Difference Awards
Recipient: Gertrude Bien Aime
Sempre has assisted the Notre Maison Orphanage for children with disabilities and the Haitian Center for Inclusive Education for well over a decade. Sempre has provided resources for assistive communication devices, projectors, school supplies, training opportunities and networking opportunities for the Director and Founder, Gertrude Bien Aime, who provides the care and organization of the children both at the orphanage and in the school. Sempre’s support and collaboration have enhanced the educational opportunities and materials for neurodiverse children in Port au Prince.
Amongst the areas of support, since 2014 to present the design of the education programmes have been informed by the findings from the Sounds of Intent (SoI) project, led by Professors Ockelford and Welch (https://soundsofintent.org/en/home/index). SoI is a developmental framework for charting the progress of neurodiverse children in music that was developed at the University of Roehampton and UCL. Gertrude Bien Aime was the first to implement this program in Haiti and received support from Sempre to have it translated to Creole.
Gertrude was recently recognized in the United States by the Florida Council for Exceptional Children, the state branch of the international organization with the Landis Stetler Award. Sempre made it possible for her to travel to the conference, network to benefit the orphanage and school, and participate in research based professional development to bring back to her community. In 2016, she was awarded the ISME World Conference Award which allowed her to fly to Glasgow, Scotland for the ISME conference. During natural disasters such as hurricanes and the current safety situation in Haiti, Sempre has been there to provide educational support for the school community.