Haiti’s enrollment rate for primary school is an encouraging 88% however, that number drops to 20% for secondary school. A study by the World Bank reveals that over one-fifth of Haiti’s children are at risk for cognitive and physical limitations. The World Bank goes further to state that only 78% of 15-year-olds will survive to the age of 60.
Help for Haiti’s commitment to education can be highlighted by its first group of students graduating into high school come the 2023-2024 school year. One of our students, Jean Bethsaïda, has been attending the New Star of Bethlehem School in Cap Haïtien since the 2nd grade!
“I love the school because it is a Christian school and it is very beautiful. I always tell myself that my dream is to continue my education until university. I would like to learn in the Health field such as Medicine or Mental health. I also want to learn a vocational trade (cosmetologist) during my vacation so I can be prepared to take care of myself a bit earlier. I am living with my aunt (her father’s sister) because my parents are separated. My mother is selling pies and sausages in a district far from Cap-Haitien. I have 2 sisters and 5 brothers. My favorite hobby is dancing. I love to dance.”
Such growth is the silver-lining after much dedication and great investment from the entire team in Haiti. We are helping to make a way in an economic climate where it often seems so bleak and that there is no way.
Facilities
In response to such great needs in North Haiti, Help for Haiti has successfully completed two projects to provide proper school facilities to support the communities we serve.
Institution Mixte Martin Luther
In 2016 we partnered with Celebration Community Beach Church to complete a five-year project to rebuild the Institution Mixte Martin Luther (IMML) in Marmelade. Formerly, a tent with a tin roof in the rural mountains became a fortified, concrete structure with a kitchen, storage and a protective retaining wall. This project allowed our enrollment in Marmalade to double its student population!
Additionally in 2022, The Sasser Family Fund made an impactful contribution to Help for Haiti allowing us to make updates to our IMML campus in Marmelade. A new latrine with a safe pathway, new roof and solar panels are being installed, bringing electricity to Marmelade for the very first time!
The New Star of Bethlehem School
The New Star of Bethlehem School (INEB) and the Fulton Center for Entrepreneurs (FCE) in Cap-Haïtien was completed in 2020 after Help for Haiti undertook another multi-year project to develop and construct a new and beautiful campus for our students that boasts a soccer field in the center court. The 10-classroom building with a full kitchen, access to clean water, toilet facilities and electricity provides a safe space for teaching and learning.
Our Education Efforts
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Help for Haiti is passionate about education and preparing our students for a successful adulthood. Our tuition assistance program creates incentives to keep children in school and breaks cultural norms in gender gap enrollments. Our female enrollments now outnumber the male enrollments in both of our schools.
Support from CanEducate has been providing Tuition Assistance to our students since 2019. In rural north Haiti, less than 40 percent of parents can afford to pay the average of $53 yearly school tuition. With Can Educates support, parents are able to prioritize their children’s education instead of relying on them to contribute to the household income or needs. And, over 50% of the tuition funds go towards keeping young women in school!
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Help for Haiti recognizes the value of consistent support for our teachers: both fiscally and developmentally. To ensure that our teachers are being supported developmentally, they participate in teacher training regularly to ensure they are up-to-date, growing and reinforced. We recognize that our students' success is directly related to our teachers' proficiency.
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Creole and French are native languages to Haiti. Help for Haiti also offers English as a Second Language to all our students K-6, preparing them for furthering their educational opportunities as they grow.
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In 2020 we launched our “Help for Haiti Partners” program to ensure that no child in either of our two schools will be turned away from their education due to a lack of funds. For $30 a month we are able to provide; English as a second language, tuition assistance, teacher training and development as well as a hot meal.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.
— Colossians 3:23