Empowering Haitian Youth through STEM & Robotics
Summary
In 2025, the Haiti STEM Alliance powered by Pennies for Haiti committed to expand access to STEM, robotics, and AI education across Haiti, with a focus on equity and resilience. Over two years, the Alliance will reach 45,850 students through coding workshops, robotics camps, and classroom integration, while training and engaging a pool of 70 coaches nationwide. Of this pool, 15 will be contracted in Year 1 and 30 in Year 2 to lead classroom delivery across 100 public schools in all ten departments. Beginning with group coding sessions in 2025 and moving into classroom based robotics instruction by October, students will learn problem solving and design through projects such as building prototypes in Tinkercad, programming Arduino robots, and competing in national robotics challenges. By 2027, the Alliance will leave behind a scalable model of digital inclusion, equipping Haitian youth, especially girls and rural students, with skills to adapt to a fast changing world.
Approach
To address the lack of access to STEM education in Haiti, the Haiti STEM Alliance is committing to expanding its work to reach 100 schools across all 10 departments of Haiti with STEM education programming. The Haiti STEM Alliance will expand STEM education to more schools via their 70 trained coaches, 45 of whom will lead classroom integration of STEM activities in schools, while the remaining coaches support workshops and competitions, including regional coding workshops and a nationwide coding and robotics competition.
The Haiti STEM Alliance will achieve this impact by giving STEM coaches tools that work in real conditions, whether through solar kits, offline platforms or practical classroom setups. The Haiti STEM Alliance will continue to reach students with STEM programming, even in places without internet or electricity, exposing students to coding, robotics, and digital tools, even for those who have never touched a computer before.
Overall, the commitment will reach more than 45,000 students with STEM education opportunities. It is also important to note that this is not only about teaching code. In Haiti, children are often taught to memorize and repeat, not to think or imagine. Expanding access to STEM education enables children to learn to think, to solve problems, and to see new possibilities for themselves. This is not about theories. It is about what is possible when you meet students where they are and believe they already carry everything it takes to rise. In Haiti, that belief is where real progress begins.
Action Plan
The Haiti STEM Alliance is beginning this commitment with a pool of 70 coaches trained from all 10 departments of Haiti, having trained these coaches earlier in 2025.
This trained pool strengthens regional capacity and creates a pipeline of local STEM leaders. Of these, 15 will be contracted in Year 1 and 30 in Year 2 to lead classroom integration, while the broader pool continues to support workshops and competitions.
From June to September 2025, preparations will focus on organizing a nationwide coding and robotics competition designed to engage more than 200 students aged 14 to 18.
In October 2025, once schools reopen, the Alliance will launch regional coding workshops across southern Haiti. Each school will host a group coding session using Tinkercad, reaching approximately 18,425 students during this introductory phase. These workshops will also serve as a testing ground, providing feedback to refine curriculum delivery and ensure readiness for sustained classroom integration. At the same time, contracted coaches will begin facilitating classroom-based coding and robotics sessions in an initial group of schools, directly reaching about 3,000 students in Year 1.
Through 2026 and 2027, contracted coaches will expand to 30 while the trained pool of 70 continues to lead workshops and competitions. Classroom-based instruction will reach an additional 6,000 students, and broad-access sessions another 18,425. Across both years combined, the program will reach 45,850 direct student beneficiaries while embedding robotics clubs, strengthening mentorship networks, and deepening collaboration with education authorities. Continuous data collection and annual evaluations will guide improvements and measure outcomes.
Background
Haiti’s education system is in serious trouble. Educational access is uneven across Haiti, with rural schools facing the most severe shortages in resources and trained staff. Most schools lack even basic supplies, making it difficult to support foundational learning. United Nations data indicates a significant number of Haitian children do not complete their education. Around 10% drop out before reaching the 6th grade, and nearly 40% leave before completing the ninth grade, according to a 2019 national sector analysis. For subjects like science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) the gaps are even wider. In the very communities where these skills could open doors, access is nearly nonexistent.
This problem stems from several interconnected root issues including underfunded schools, teachers being overworked and underpaid with overcrowded classrooms, and frequently lacking proper training. In many areas, access to technology is simply not available. Political instability, recurring natural disasters, and widespread poverty exacerbate these challenges. Layer by layer, these barriers have made education especially in STEM feel out of reach for too many.
While the world races ahead with AI, robotics, and digital innovation, Haitian students are being left further and further behind. The digital divide keeps growing. Girls face even more hurdles, often being pushed aside before they’ve had a fair chance to begin.
STEM education is important not simply for educating children how to use computers and write code, but for ensuring that they are not excluded from the future. Haitian students have talent and potential, however, without significant access and opportunity, that potential is not given a chance to materialize. It is especially pressing that girls do not get left behind, since they face additional barriers to education. The Haiti STEM Alliance began in 2017 because the need was too big to ignore. In August 2025, the Haiti STEM Alliance achieved accreditation from STEM.org, a milestone that validated the quality and rigor of its programs.
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
To keep going, the Haiti STEM Alliance needs more hands on deck. The team is doing a lot with very little, but they can’t do it alone. The Haiti STEM Alliance is specifically seeking additional funders, partners, and in-kind donations like tech kits, transport, and supplies that help kids learn. There is space here for groups that truly care about education, equity, or tech to make a difference.,The Haiti STEM Alliance offers a community-tested model of grassroots STEM education, focused on rural inclusion, solar-powered tools, and offline tech platforms. The team goes where others don’t into rural areas where the internet is rare, electricity is spotty, and chances are limited. They bring solar kits, use tools like Scratch and Arduino offline, and adapt their lessons to fit the community. The Haiti STEM Alliance can offer this model to partnering schools, and share best practices and expertise with others.