Students Support Human Rights Through a Small Business

About a year ago, the fourth, fifth and sixth grade students at Jubilee School decided to open a school store to sell healthy snacks. The proceeds of the store were to go to an organization called Fonkoze, which gives micro-loans to women in Haiti who are starting their own businesses. The students saw the power of micro-loans through their experience of building a small business from scratch, and then re-investing profits into their business. They have now earned over $600 in profits through sales of items costing an average of $.50.

This past January, students met to discuss what they could do about earthquake relief in Haiti. They agreed that the proceeds from their store should still go to micro-loans, as creating businesses would be an important aspect of long-term rebuilding in Haiti. However, they also felt that earthquake relief was the first priority. So they organized a talent show/silent auction to raise money specifically for that cause. The talent show will take place on April 23, at 5:30 PM at DuBois College House on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania (3900 Walnut street).

On April 30, Jubilee students are holding a Human Rights Day celebration in which they will honor the work of Fonkoze in Haiti, and present them with a check for micro-loans and earthquake relief. The ceremony will also include the honoring of other people involved in human rights work, and will take place at 12:50 at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, 600 south 43 street, Griffith Hall. The ceremony will be organized and led by fifth and sixth grade students.