Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia Support GSE Initiative

August 1, 2011 - The Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia (HPP) recently announced their charitable gift in support of the Penn GSE Haiti Education Initiative.  

The $10,000 gift will provide general support to the initiative, a collaborative effort between Penn GSE and the Haitian Ministry of Education (MENFP). The long-term partnership is focused on capacity-building, aiming to establish a high-quality education system in Haiti that is sustainable on its own rather than being dependent on outside help. 

“Penn GSE is grateful to the Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia for its extraordinary generosity,” says Dr. Sharon Ravitch, a faculty member at Penn GSE and an expert in applied international educational development. “We are privileged to be part of this historic, crucial, and regenerative endeavor and honored that the HPP has chosen to help support our work.” 

As senior international advisor to the MENFP’s Education Reconstruction Plan, Ravitch works closely with Dr. Creutzer Mathurin, senior advisor to the National Education Task Force of MENFP, and Jacky Lumarque, chair of the Presidential Commission on Education and Training. The Penn team includes Penn GSE students Laura Colket and Yve-Car Momperousse and David Land, a veteran of NGO work in Haiti.  

Established in November 2008, the HPP was founded to help elevate Philadelphia’s Haitian community through education, professional development, and mentorship. In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, the organization launched the Haiti Relief Project, which provided medical supplies, medical professionals, water, and food to Haiti.  

MEDIA CONTACT: Jill DiSanto-Haines | jdisanto@upenn.edu | 215-898-4820