The Opportunities for Communities, Inc. (OfC) mission is to engage communities through education to generate sustainable development opportunities.
Opportunities for Communities Inc. is a Charitable (501c3) educational organization based in Western Massachusetts that was established in 2009. OfC offers experiential learning through sustainable development programs for students and is based on the concept of linking communities to enhance cooperation and engage partners to generate educational and sustainable development opportunities. OfC has empowered over 200 American and 1,000 Haitian students in our innovative educational programs.
We bring together three communities:
- Students of all ages, primarily from the Northeast US
- Donors interested in contributing expertise and financial support
- The target community of children and teachers in Haiti
OfC students learn about and engage in the planning, execution and management of projects that provide rudimentary economic development potential within the partner communities:
Maranatha School (Simon, Les Cayes Haiti)
- In 2014 OfC broke ground for a school called Institution Maranatha, an elementary school dedicated to educating Restavek children
- Today classes are offered free of charge to 200 Restavek, orphaned and other impoverished children
- The Maranatha School has become a community center, and a model for other communities.
Bellabe (rural village in southwest Haiti)
- Sponsoring scholarships for children unable to afford tuition
- Health screening and monitoring
- Safe water and waste disposal (OfC installed a deep well)
- Micro-lending programs (Coffee Roasting; Cement Blocks; Basket Weaving)
- Irrigation canal (partnership with Taiwanese government)
Lekòl Dete (“Summer School”)
OfC launched Lekòl Dete in 2010 that shatters social and cultural barriers between the “Restavek” (indentured servant) and “free” children- Lekòl Dete uses innovative approaches to practical skills learning; critical, analytical, and strategic thinking; and fine motor skills, complement the more traditional approaches of memorization and recitation in Haitian schools
- Lekòl Dete’s slogan is “Nou tout se youn” – or “We all are one”
Whether in the US or at an International site, establishing trusting, long-term relationships with communities in which we base our curricular activities is critical to our ability to provide the instruction in planning and implementing effective community-based programs.
We welcome inquiries, so please let us know if you are interested in learning more.