Founded in the early 1990s by a group of community organizers, SOPUDEP (Society of Providence United for the Economic Development of Pétion-Ville) is a Haitian-run grassroots organization whose primary goal is to provide free education to adults and children in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Pétion-Ville. The group initially focused its efforts on adult literacy, but soon began to develop primary education programs as well. In 2002, SOPUDEP opened its flagship K-12 school, which now has more than 760 students. Furthermore, since the 2010 earthquake, SOPUDEP has begun working at Camp Acra, one of the tent camps for internally displaced people. The group has established a temporary school at the camp as well as technical and art workshops for residents.
Réa Dol, the co-founder and director of SOPUDEP, also coordinates an HIV-AIDS prevention and treatment program as well as a micro-credit program, which primarily helps poor women achieve economic independence.
A 2017 grant from the Cultures of Resistance Network supported the construction of furnishings and the purchase of materials and equipment for the Delmas 83 school.
A 2016 grant from the Cultures of Resistance Network supported SOPUDEP’s Hurricane Matthew emergency relief efforts, which went towards food, medicine, and additional supplies.
A 2015 grant from the Cultures of Resistance Network helped buy construction materials for Delmas 83, a new school campus that started in February 2010, a month after the earthquake.
A 2013 grant from the Cultures of Resistance Network will offset costs for SOPUDEP’s ongoing sports activities and support the construction of a new school building.
Website: www.sopudep.org
