New film pushes for ‘educational transformation’ in Haiti as TPS ends
By Wilkine Brutus
October 9, 2026 at 7:00 AM EDT
The termination of Temporary Protected Status by the Trump administration has plunged an estimated 158,000 Haitians across Florida into legal and economic limbo.
In response, a group of community leaders is looking homeward, turning to sustainable nation-building to secure long-term stability for Haiti.
"An educational transformation on the ground” could prevent Haitian migration," Dr. Bertude Albert told WLRN. She and fellow University of Florida alumna Priscilla Zelaya co-founded P4H Global, Haiti’s largest teacher-training nonprofit.
P4H stands for "Projects for Haiti."
At last month's sold-out screening at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex in Miami, community members gathered to watch Haiti Rising, a documentary highlighting their work for the past 15 years.
The film features civic leaders, across the political spectrum, including Arne Duncan, the former U.S. Secretary of Education who served under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2015, and Dominique Dupuy, Haitian diplomat and politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs in Haiti.
Duncan, one of the nonprofit's high-profile backers, said the organization is great at getting resources directly to the people who need them, rather than getting stuck in the red tape of the centralized Haitian government.
He called P4H's effort to provide teachers across Haiti with proper training a "better system, a better delivery mechanism" for students seeking quality education.
<i>Haiti Rising</i>, a documentary highlighting the work of P4H Global, the largest teacher-training nonprofit in Haiti. (2872x1614, AR: 1.7794299876084263)
But when the organization first began, Dr. Albert, the CEO of P4H — who has a large following on social media as an educator — admits they focused on traditional aid, such as "400 pounds of donated clothes and goods."
That didn’t sit well with the locals in Cap-Haïtien, in the northern part of Haiti.
“They said, 'Bertude, Priscilla, we love you. We thank you, but you actually hurt us more than you helped us ... because who can compete with free?' Dr. Albert told WLRN.
According to many locals, large donations were competing with and hurting small business owners who desire a more robust marketplace and industry in Haiti.
“When we asked them what they wanted, the overwhelming response was, 'We want education, because when we are educated, we will reach a place where we don't need to continue extending the arm," she added.
READ MORE: Fifty organizations launch nationwide 'Days of Action' to restore TPS for Haitian immigrants
The feedback prompted a complete pivot because in Haiti, 80% of primary and secondary school teachers are uncertified and untrained, according to USAID research, and 60% of students drop out before finishing sixth grade.
With 50 full-time staff today, servicing all 10 administrative departments in Haiti, Dr.Bertude said P4H has trained over 17,000 teachers and impacted almost 600,000 students.
“We are the largest teacher training nonprofit in Haiti,” she said, attempting to “break cycles of poverty, cycles of economic instability, cycles of political instability.”
Teacher training impact in Haiti
Partner schools within the P4H network achieve a 97% national exam pass rate, compared to Haiti's national average of roughly 42%, according to the non-profit, across all subjects.
First-time teachers in the program increase their educational and classroom management scores from an average of 50% before training to 91% by the end of the program.
Broader access to new information and new instruction strategies have helped teachers evolve in their profession.
And even corporal punishment (such as using belts, sticks, or forced kneeling) has been eliminated in 91% of P4 partner classrooms.
<i>Haiti Rising</i>, starring Dr. Bertude Albert, is a documentary highlighting the work of P4H Global, the largest teacher-training nonprofit in Haiti. (2878x1618, AR: 1.7787391841779976)
Eliminating language barriers and access
In the film, P4H illustrates how its methodology also dismantles historic linguistic barriers. Although Haitians speak Haitian Creole fluently, formal instruction has long been conducted in French, spoken by fewer than 5% of the population.
By shifting instruction to native Kreyol, teachers remove a key cognitive hurdle.
“When we integrate Haitian Creole in the classroom, the teachers have an aha moment,”Dr. Albert told WLRN.
“If it was strong enough to win the Haitian Revolution, it is strong enough to teach mathematics and biology.”
This culturally grounded approach is creating ripple effects beyond the students. In the documentary, one local Haitian teacher noted that the organization “helps parents collaborate better and understand us [teachers] better” and that could “help the school advance.”
Mobilizing Haitian diaspora through education
Reflecting on the broader message of Haiti Rising, Dr. Albert emphasized the power of local leadership.
“This documentary is showing the fact that we as Haitians are able to solve the greatest problems that our nation faces, and quality education is key to that,” she said.
Connecting this educational mission to the realities of migration, Dr. Albert argued that the places the Haitian diaspora currently call home may not offer permanent safety in the future.
For her, the recent ending of Haitian TPS is a cautionary tale.
“Haiti is the only land that belongs to us. Whether we are in the United States, France, or Canada, there will always be a threat that the people of that land will not want us,” Dr. Albert said.
“And so what does that mean for us? We must rebuild our country. We must rebuild our land. We as the Haitian diaspora, whether we're in West Palm Beach, whether we're in Broward County, whether we're in Miami, we must put our hands together and build up the only land that God has given us.”
(2750x625, AR: 4.4)
In response, a group of community leaders is looking homeward, turning to sustainable nation-building to secure long-term stability for Haiti.
"An educational transformation on the ground” could prevent Haitian migration," Dr. Bertude Albert told WLRN. She and fellow University of Florida alumna Priscilla Zelaya co-founded P4H Global, Haiti’s largest teacher-training nonprofit.
P4H stands for "Projects for Haiti."
At last month's sold-out screening at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex in Miami, community members gathered to watch Haiti Rising, a documentary highlighting their work for the past 15 years.
The film features civic leaders, across the political spectrum, including Arne Duncan, the former U.S. Secretary of Education who served under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2015, and Dominique Dupuy, Haitian diplomat and politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs in Haiti.
Duncan, one of the nonprofit's high-profile backers, said the organization is great at getting resources directly to the people who need them, rather than getting stuck in the red tape of the centralized Haitian government.
He called P4H's effort to provide teachers across Haiti with proper training a "better system, a better delivery mechanism" for students seeking quality education.
<i>Haiti Rising</i>, a documentary highlighting the work of P4H Global, the largest teacher-training nonprofit in Haiti. (2872x1614, AR: 1.7794299876084263)
But when the organization first began, Dr. Albert, the CEO of P4H — who has a large following on social media as an educator — admits they focused on traditional aid, such as "400 pounds of donated clothes and goods."
That didn’t sit well with the locals in Cap-Haïtien, in the northern part of Haiti.
“They said, 'Bertude, Priscilla, we love you. We thank you, but you actually hurt us more than you helped us ... because who can compete with free?' Dr. Albert told WLRN.
According to many locals, large donations were competing with and hurting small business owners who desire a more robust marketplace and industry in Haiti.
“When we asked them what they wanted, the overwhelming response was, 'We want education, because when we are educated, we will reach a place where we don't need to continue extending the arm," she added.
READ MORE: Fifty organizations launch nationwide 'Days of Action' to restore TPS for Haitian immigrants
The feedback prompted a complete pivot because in Haiti, 80% of primary and secondary school teachers are uncertified and untrained, according to USAID research, and 60% of students drop out before finishing sixth grade.
With 50 full-time staff today, servicing all 10 administrative departments in Haiti, Dr.Bertude said P4H has trained over 17,000 teachers and impacted almost 600,000 students.
“We are the largest teacher training nonprofit in Haiti,” she said, attempting to “break cycles of poverty, cycles of economic instability, cycles of political instability.”
Teacher training impact in Haiti
Partner schools within the P4H network achieve a 97% national exam pass rate, compared to Haiti's national average of roughly 42%, according to the non-profit, across all subjects.
First-time teachers in the program increase their educational and classroom management scores from an average of 50% before training to 91% by the end of the program.
Broader access to new information and new instruction strategies have helped teachers evolve in their profession.
And even corporal punishment (such as using belts, sticks, or forced kneeling) has been eliminated in 91% of P4 partner classrooms.
<i>Haiti Rising</i>, starring Dr. Bertude Albert, is a documentary highlighting the work of P4H Global, the largest teacher-training nonprofit in Haiti. (2878x1618, AR: 1.7787391841779976)
Eliminating language barriers and access
In the film, P4H illustrates how its methodology also dismantles historic linguistic barriers. Although Haitians speak Haitian Creole fluently, formal instruction has long been conducted in French, spoken by fewer than 5% of the population.
By shifting instruction to native Kreyol, teachers remove a key cognitive hurdle.
“When we integrate Haitian Creole in the classroom, the teachers have an aha moment,”Dr. Albert told WLRN.
“If it was strong enough to win the Haitian Revolution, it is strong enough to teach mathematics and biology.”
This culturally grounded approach is creating ripple effects beyond the students. In the documentary, one local Haitian teacher noted that the organization “helps parents collaborate better and understand us [teachers] better” and that could “help the school advance.”
Mobilizing Haitian diaspora through education
Reflecting on the broader message of Haiti Rising, Dr. Albert emphasized the power of local leadership.
“This documentary is showing the fact that we as Haitians are able to solve the greatest problems that our nation faces, and quality education is key to that,” she said.
Connecting this educational mission to the realities of migration, Dr. Albert argued that the places the Haitian diaspora currently call home may not offer permanent safety in the future.
For her, the recent ending of Haitian TPS is a cautionary tale.
“Haiti is the only land that belongs to us. Whether we are in the United States, France, or Canada, there will always be a threat that the people of that land will not want us,” Dr. Albert said.
“And so what does that mean for us? We must rebuild our country. We must rebuild our land. We as the Haitian diaspora, whether we're in West Palm Beach, whether we're in Broward County, whether we're in Miami, we must put our hands together and build up the only land that God has given us.”
(2750x625, AR: 4.4)