Dr. Seán Rowland, president of Hibernia College, was invited to attend the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Miami hosted by President Bill Clinton and chaired by Denis O’Brien. Dr. Rowland spoke to the group about the development of the National Institute for Teacher Education in Haiti. The initiative was developed by an international team of educators, administrators and technologists at Hibernia College and presented to the Clinton Global Initiative. Initial funding has already been secured and the institute is welcoming support from educators and institutes worldwide to sustain a long term teacher education centre in Haiti.

Dr. Rowland, who also serves as a board member of the Soul of Haiti Foundation, urged educators and philanthropists to engage positively with this teacher education initiative and other initiatives developed by the Soul of Haiti. The foundation was set up in 2007 by a group of entrepreneurs working under the leadership of Ernst & Young in Ireland. A number of projects are in development on the ground for some time. More details are available on www.soulofhaiti.ie

Dr. Rowland commented:

“The people of Haiti are suffering extreme conditions of existence after the earthquake. All of Haiti has been living in incredibly impoverished circumstances for many years. The earthquake made life much more difficult for all of these people. I urge everyone to give whatever they can no matter how small to an organisation working on the ground. They need more food, water and medicine immediately. One euro or one dollar will make a difference. I have seen first hand the great work being done with these contributions. I returned from Haiti yesterday and like everyone who is there I am motivated to help and to ask for help. There are great examples of the leadership and strength that individuals bring to a crisis. Dr. Louise Ivers from Dublin is working night and day with “Partners in Health” on the ground. Denis O’Brien and his company Digicel employs over 1,000 people in Haiti. His headquarters in the centre of Port au Prince were built to withstand such a natural disaster and his building now stands on a hill, 13 floors high, as a model of what can be built in the Haiti of the future. His Digicel foundation reaches out to help thousands of people through philanthropic projects. He has built over 20 schools and he provides salaries for all of the teachers in these schools. I also met Siobhán Walsh who was there to mobilise the resources of Concern with her Chief Executive from Ireland, Tom Arnold. They are reaching out to thousands of people and need your help today and for many days to come.”

Maria Mulcahy of Digicel with Dr. Seán Rowland by the ruins of a hospital in Port-au-Prince		Denis O'Brien with the Haitian Minister of Education and the World Bank representative for Haiti outside of the remains of the Ministry of Education