Notre Dame receives $3.4M to support education in Haiti

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – The Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child at the University of Notre Dame has received three grant awards totaling $3.4 million. The university says the grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the LEGO Foundation and USAID will fund its resilient education programming in Haiti.

A portion of the funding will support education partnerships that help with disaster recovery and catalyze long-term education systems development in Haiti. Notre Dame says the GC-DWC will host virtual and in-person meetings to review and reimagine a more resilient education system in Haiti.

“With our partners in Haiti, we are building resilient child development and education systems that draw on the three pillars of Haitian society: the home, the school and the church,” said Kate Schuenke-Lucien, the director for Haiti and senior associate director for strategic planning at the GC-DWC. “These new awards allow us to expand our work, especially in light of the damage caused by the 2021 earthquake.”

The funding will also support systems activation in emergencies, as well as a USAID crisis modifier, which allows the center to build on its strong beginnings project and supply additional resources to Haitians amid political protests, school closures and frequent earthquakes.

The university says the additional funding will also allow GC-DWC to construct temporary learning structures, provide psychosocial support to parents and offer nutrition support.