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Since 2011, the three-year intensive programme has benefited 8,000 educators and 350,000 students in all ten of Haiti’s departments.

“We are taking part in another Haitian Revolution. We will be victorious, not with guns and machetes in our hands, but rather with books and pens”, said Dr. Bertrhude Albert, Co-Founder of P4H Global, one of the three laureates of the 2022 UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development.

Bertrhude launched the project “Training Teachers to Transform Haiti” along with co-founder Dr. Priscilla Zelaya in 2011 to train and equip Haitian educators. Its goal is for teachers to avoid corporal punishment and transform their teaching methods into effective, student-centred strategies that cultivate critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity inside the classroom.

The non-profit P4H Global is currently the official professional development provider for public schools in the North and Northeast departments.

"Training Teachers to Transform Haiti" is a 3-year programme which repeats the same cycle every year: diagnostic, training, coaching, observations. “P4H Global is a grassroot organization that was created for Haitians by Haitians. We train teachers because they are the heroes of Haiti. We are confident that as they receive effective training and support, Haitian teachers will raise up leaders that will transform the country”, said Bertrhude.

Within its activities, P4H has also trained school directors, parents, and community members in order to fully support teachers.

The unity of their team is part of the success of the programme. “When our office was broken into, every team member volunteered to make personal financial contributions in order to keep our programme running without great financial loss. After traveling 15+ hours over mountains and through rivers to reach remote schools, our team is always filled with excitement and passion. The Haitian flag says « L'union fait la force » and we are living proof that unity does create strength”, explained Dr. Albert.

Every teacher receives a two-day classroom observation with personalized feedback. Most educators reported this being the first time they’ve received reflections on their teaching.

For Bertrhude, the impact of the trainings has been life changing: “We recently learned that one of our schools in Plaisance received a 100% pass rate for the third year in a row with our team. Before working with us, this school had not received a passing note for all their students”.

The project strives for inclusivity not only by actively including teachers as co-constructors of the training, but also by removing language barriers using Haitian Creole as a medium of instruction.

Dr. Albert firmly believes that although there is a stigma associated with using their native tongue for academic purposes, “training in Haitian Creole ensures that our participants truly understand the content we are sharing with them. In 1804 Haiti became the First Free Black Republic in the World when Haitians won the Haitian Revolution. The language they used to achieve this great success was Haitian Creole. Haitian Creole is the language of a revolution".

Due to the lack of support and resources in rural schools, P4H team also places a high emphasis on distant areas: 70% of the trainings are provided to schools in rural settings. Moreover, in 2019 they created a public Facebook group for Haitian teachers (Kominote Pwofesè Ayisyen – KoPA). With over 11,000 teachers across all ten of Haiti’s department, educators can connect and support each other's work.

P4H won’t stop training teachers until they see a transformed Haiti. “When I shared the news about the UNESCO-Hamdam Prize with our team, the entire room erupted with shouts of joy. My team sang and danced for 20 minutes without stopping. One of our leaders said: the world is watching us, UNESCO believes in us, let's make them all proud. Let's transform our nation not only for the future generation, but also for the world to see that Haiti's circumstances don't determine our potential."

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Awarded every two years, the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development rewards outstanding and innovative practices related to teachers so their lessons can be shared and spread. The Prize amounts to US $300,000, which is equally divided between three winners.