About Transformed Twelve
Each star on the map represents a town where our students and their families live.
Families are at the heart of everything we do here at Transformed Twelve—T12 as we affectionately call it. T12 is focused on the relationships necessary for a young person to achieve success in their world: the family relationship, the mentor relationship, and the relationship between the sponsor and the organization.
We work towards keeping children in a supportive family structure by providing educational opportunities. When children are in school, parents can work. This allows parents to financially support their family.
Educational opportunities can lead to economic development for the family, which gives them the opportunity to prosper. Education for these kids can give them hope for a future where they have the skills needed to provide for their future families. If we can help families stay together, then we can prevent children from unsafe prospects.
Ultimately it’s our hope that each student will experience real transformation in how they approach the world and their place in it. Equally important, we hope our community of supporters experience transformation in how they fit into the world as a global partner.
Transformed Twelve operates in the United States as a 501(3)c enabling your donations to be tax deductible.
Here are some of the questions we get asked the most. If you have more questions about T12, send us a note!
With so many "sponsor a child" non-profits in Haiti, how is T12 different?
Many families are choosing to give their kids to an orphanage for a chance at an education and a better life. At T12, we are committed to working with families who want to be involved in helping their students succeed.
When you sponsor a student with Transformed Twelve, you are investing in the work of transformation for a student and transformation for that student's entire family.
What does it look like to work with the whole family to help their students succeed?
Since many parents didn't have the opportunity to go to school themselves, it's common for many Haitian parents to simply not understand all that's involved in education. For example, many parents don't understand the necessities of waking their students up for school every morning, taking good care of their possessions, basic hygiene practices, finishing homework so it is complete for school the next day, or letting T12 know if their student is sick so we can help make sure they receive the necessary medical care.
When entering our program, one of T12's in-Haiti staff members trains and supports the parents on how to best encourage and help their students in order to be successful.
How long is a student able to stay in the T2 sponsorship program?
As long as T12's students are dedicated to their education, we are committed to supporting them through high school and on into university - if that's their desire. In the end, more education will most often lead to better, higher-paying job opportunities, so we want to always encourage students that are invested in their education by supporting them as long as they need our assistance.
By equipping T12 students now with the tools and resources they need to transform their lives, it is our hope that our students will one day have the tools and resources to adequately provide and care for their own families.
Why do Haitian kids need to be "sponsored" for school?
Haiti doesn't have public education. That means that every student who attends school must be able to pay for tuition, buy books, and have a uniform. With 78 percent of Haitians living on less that $2 a day, the extra money for school fees is simply out of the question for most families. The result is that education in Haiti is something that's only available to those who can afford to pay the fees. If a child's parents do have jobs, the money will, understandably, often be spent on buying simple food to feed the family.
More than 50 percent of primary school-aged children are not enrolled in school. Similarly, 60 percent of Haitian children will not make it past 6th grade.
Sponsoring a student means this child will have the resources to overcome the classic barriers to education: transportation, poor nutrition, and financial resources. Haiti does not have any public education. Every student who attends school must be able to provide tuition, buy books, and have a uniform.
How does a student get picked to be in T12?
Each T12 student is hand selected by our Haitian-born director, Wadson Maxime. Wadson personally visits a family to see if the entire family is a good fit for the T12 program.
We are looking for families who demonstrate a commitment to their student being educated. When a family shows the sincere desire to succeed and the willingness to follow through on their commitment, Wadson will then began searching for a quality school that is near that student.
Families are visited by Wadson and T12 staff periodically throughout the year for additional mentoring on how best to support their students (e.g. how to help a student get ready for school in the morning, how to help with homework, etc). Sometimes we refer parents to our in-country partners to help develop their own plan for sustainable growth.
One of our T12 staff members in Haiti follows the progress of each student throughout the year. Additional workshops for life skills, spiritual growth, and success skills are provided periodically throughout the year.