US actor, Digicel forge 12-month partnership

BEN STILLER'S philanthropic organisation, the Stiller Foundation, has announced a partnership with the Digicel Foundation to build schools in Haiti to help support the country's education system. Over the next 12 months, the two foundations will build eight schools together across the country.

The Stiller Foundation has been working to rebuild schools after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

The Stiller Foundation's primary mission is to promote the education and well-being of children through initiatives that develop and support high-quality schools. Inspired by his first visit to Haiti in 2009, Stiller began a unique fund-raising campaign, 'Stillerstrong', which raised more than US$300,000 for school construction. Stiller expanded his commitment to Haiti in 2010 and has been supporting the reconstruction of schools after the earthquake. Two of these schools will be completed and serving more than 600 primary and secondary students by the end of this calendar year.

Improving education

The Digicel Foundation, founded by Denis O'Brien, chairman of cellphone operator Digicel Group, has supported education projects in Haiti since 2007. The Digicel Foundation has built 70 schools across the country and plans to build another 80, mostly in rural areas. The foundation has also focused on improving education quality in the past through teacher-training initiatives.

"I am thrilled that the Digicel Foundation is partnering with the Stiller Foundation, which has shown exceptional commitment to education in Haiti. We are delighted that Ben and his organisation are lending such huge support to our mission to build 80 more schools in Haiti over the next two years...," said O'Brien.

More than half of Haiti's school-age children do not attend primary school. On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, damaging or destroying 4,000 schools in and around the capital of Port-au-Prince.