Haiti Reads is a small, nonprofit literacy organization based in the United States. Founded in 2007 by Jeanette Alfred, it is located in Chicago, Illinois and currently has volunteer clusters in San Diego, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Its mission is to make books accessible to children and adults in Haiti, regardless of their education or financial status, as well as to establish centers throughout the country that house educational resources for teachers and provide adequate instructional training. In addition to preparing teachers, Haiti Reads aims to provide training to underserved people in the community.
Offering books in various languages including Kreyòl and French, Haiti Reads owns and operates Bibliyotèk 54, a community library. The library was originally located in Delmas 24 from 2009, but relocated after the January 2010 earthquake. The community library moved to Carrefour, Haiti and was sheltered within the ground floor of the Institute of Grace. In the past, Haiti Reads has had partnerships with two Haitian schools in Merger and Fort Mercredi. The library recently relocated to the community of Tom Gateau.
Haiti Reads is affiliated with Amazon Smile, iGive, and Good Shop. Current members of their volunteer staff include: Jeanette Alfred, Founder and President; Bobbi Weaver, Vice-President and Library Consultant; Gerald Alfred, Music Teacher and Coordinator for Kicks for Haiti; Jean Baptiste Franzy, Volunteer and Owner/Directeur Haiti Service Peinture; Jean Erik, Volunteer; Zaza Francois, Kash-Kash Gallery Supervisor/Owner; and Peter Dalce, Owner/Director of Zola Tech.
Programs
Alongside supplying books to the community in which the library is located, Haiti Reads also provides CPR instruction and offers resources to learn Haitian Kreyòl.