30066: Hermantin(News)Computer skills offer hope to Haitians in Boynton area (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Computer skills offer hope to Haitians in Boynton area




By Joel Hood
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

February 19, 2007



West Palm Beach · Quetel Osterval stood at the podium in a black suit and 
yellow tie, flashing a sparkling white grin that would not be contained.

"Yes, you did it," Osterval said, pumping his fist for emphasis. "You earned 
this."

Seated in front were more than 50 people in long purple and yellow caps and 
gowns. They were mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, teenagers and 
seniors. They had all at one time or another emigrated from Haiti to South 
Florida to pursue better lives. It was a promise they fulfilled Sunday as, one 
by one, they greeted Osterval at the podium to receive their diplomas.

It wasn't a college or high school graduation. Instead, the formal event inside 
a dance hall at the Kravis Center culminated a one-year computer training 
school for adults run by the nonprofit Community Development Foundation of 
Boynton Beach.

And if the ceremony seemed a bit extravagant for an adult school graduation, 
for these Haitian-Americans, the diplomas offered hope of enriching young 
families and curbing the gang violence troubling their community in Palm Beach 
County. Osterval, a native of Haiti, said it's one small part of a solution to 
a complex problem.

"By giving parents the tools to find better jobs, we're giving them more time 
at home with their families," said Osterval, director of the Community 
Development Foundation. "This is the best way to reduce the gang activity that 
we see going on."

The graduates, many of whom are parents of young children, understood the 
connection. Marie Ange Eugene, 41, a mother of five, attended computer classes 
at night over the last year to earn her diploma. That experience landed her a 
job in accounts/receivable at large retirement community in Delray Beach, where 
she lives. With shorter daytime hours and higher pay, Eugene said she'll be 
able to spend more time at home.

"It's so very, very important to stay home, to not have to work two or three 
jobs," Eugene said.

Greenacres resident Frantz Bellanton, 47, is using the courses to get out of 
driving a garbage truck for Waste Management Inc., and is applying for a 
management position within the company. He said he's also seeking a degree at 
Palm Beach Community College.

Since the late 1990s, the Community Development Foundation has hosted adult 
computer training classes to help the Haitian community develop skills for the 
modern workplace. Osterval said the agency works with large companies such as 
Office Depot and Wal-Mart to determine what software skills are needed to 
assist students in finding jobs when they've completed the program.

For many, Osterval said, this is the only diploma they've ever received, a 
point that underscored the need for these courses, he added.

"You all have a duty to come back to the community and spread the word about 
this school," said Gaston Joseph, a volunteer with the agency. "A life either 
moves forward or backwards. We are all moving forward together."

Joel Hood can be reached at jhood@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6611.


Copyright © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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