Expanding robotics access in Haiti through community maker labs
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$3,640
A two-week advanced robotics camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti , for 20 high school students who have completed the Hector Foundation’s DRILL programme, aimed at advancing technical skills, fostering teamwork, and creating pathways to higher education and engineering careers.
- Region ðŸ‡ðŸ‡¹ Haiti
- Stage Pilot
Wilhem Hector and Gil Sander Joseph grew up in Haiti as close friends with an unusual passion for learning. As teenagers, they taught themselves English and Science with whatever resources they could find, often drawing curious stares as they practised vocabulary during lunch breaks. What began as curiosity turned into discipline—and eventually into opportunity.
In 2019, both earned highly competitive national scholarships: Wilhem went on to study engineering in Norway, while Gil pursued sociology in Germany. Their paths took them to top universities: Wilhem is now completing mechanical engineering at MIT, leading wind-energy research, and has been named Haiti’s first Rhodes Scholar. Gil is finishing his sociology degree at Princeton, where he serves as student-body president, and will soon head to Stanford as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar to study international policy.
Despite their personal success, they remained committed to Haiti. In 2020, they co-founded the Hector Foundation to share opportunities with others. It began as a virtual summer course and grew into a movement. In 2023, they launched DRILL, an introductory robotics programme, and opened Manus 1, Haiti’s first open-access engineering makerspace.
DRILL has since introduced over 120 students to robotics and fabrication. Now, Wilhem, Gil, and their team want to take the next step with GEAR Lab—a two-week advanced camp that turns foundational exposure into true technical proficiency. For them, this isn’t just a camp. It’s part of a deliberate, long-term plan to help Haiti build its own innovation ecosystem.
Why This Matters
In Port-au-Prince, over 80% of the city is under gang control. Schools are frequently shut down due to violence, making education not just scarce but risky. For young people, particularly young men, learning itself becomes an act of defiance and hope.
Political instability since 2018 has further eroded educational access, especially in STEM fields. Government programmes are limited, and most international initiatives are short-term or externally driven. The Hector Foundation is building something different: a community-owned makerspace, peer-led teaching, and a clear, local pathway from curiosity to competence.
The GEAR Lab is essential because it provides continuity for DRILL graduates who want to go further. It models what advanced STEM education can look like in a place too often excluded from global conversations about technology and innovation.
What the Project Will Change
The GEAR Lab will transform exposure into expertise. Over two weeks, 20 DRILL alumni will work in teams to design and build Segway-style robots from scratch. They'll start with control theory and simulation, move into prototyping and coding, and finish with a fully functional machine.
This process will be demanding. But it will also build confidence, foster problem-solving skills, and demonstrate what these students are capable of achieving. For many, it will be the most rigorous and rewarding academic experience they’ve ever had.
The impact won’t end with the camp. It will strengthen college applications, unlock internship opportunities, and inspire further self-directed learning. Most importantly, it will reinforce a message these students rarely hear: you belong in science and engineering.
Technical stuff
The Details
- Prototypes built 0
- Mentors employed 0
- Total student-hours of instruction 0