Haiti Textbook Project
Many students in Haiti do not receive a quality education due to a lack of access to textbooks. Parents barely make enough to put food on the table, much less buy textbooks for their children. Therefore, most schools do not have a full set of textbooks and many are damaged. This proves incredibly difficult for students to learn. A pilot textbook program was implemented at one school where a set of new textbooks was purchased with buy in from the parents and students that these books needed to be cared for or the parents would be charged for the replacement. Once the students all had quality textbooks to study, their test scores increased dramatically from around 50% to 85%! Also, very few books have needed to be replaced and the project is sustaining itself. We are now looking to implement the program in all 10 schools which would help around 4,700 students. Each school will require about $15k to purchase the initial set of textbooks which will provide the basis for the students’ improved education.
The next school where the textbook program will be implemented is located in Cap Rouge. This town is very remote and requires multiple hours of driving along very rocky, mountainous roads to reach it. Many people live up in the mountains and the roads were crowded with students in perfectly pressed uniforms walking to school. We were able to talk to the principal and several students about the situation at the school and how the textbooks would greatly benefit the students and the teachers.
Interview with Principal of the School in Cap Rouge:
Q: How will the textbook program help your school?
A: The program is going to be very fruitful, very useful, because of the economic situation of the parents. Some of the students here do not have books. When they do have them, I think the outcome is going to be better because they will have books and it will be beneficial for the parents.
Q: How many students attend this school?
A: 350 students
Q: What grades do you teach here?
A: Pre-K through High school
Q: Of the 350 children, how many children do not have books?
A: About 30% of the students do not have books. Mostly the secondary students are the ones who do not have textbooks because they are more expensive.
Q: What do the young people do to try to pass their classes without having their own textbooks?
A: In order to prepare for the state exams, those who do not have a book make copies of the pages in the books and they form groups to study together. Sometimes the teacher needs to copy the notes on the board and they have to ask the students to stay late to copy the notes down since they do not have the textbook.
We also met with seven students who are in high school. When we asked them if they had all the books they needed for their classes, every one of them said that they did not. They had about half of the textbooks they needed. Each one was very excited to be able to study with all the books that they needed and they promised to always make school a priority and study hard.
Please visit the Donate and Get Involved page to make a donation.
Palmiste au Vin University Scholarship Program
Four years ago, Brother Arie, the superior at Palmiste au Vin school, approached the Holy Spirit Haiti Mission about sponsoring several outstanding students to attend university. The goal was for them to receive their degrees and return to the school to teach for the same number of years that they received tuition assistance. We are happy to report that eight of these students are graduating this year and will be teaching at the school. You can tell how much they have matured and grown into bright, enthusiastic young adults who are eager to help others achieve their education goals. We were able to talk to several of them about their future plans:
Q: What has been your favorite subject during your
university studies?
A1: History
A2: Geopolitics
A3: Biology
Q: Were there any obstacles that you had to overcome to
complete your studies?
A1: The situation in our country is a challenge because we cannot study in any
area of the country that we want to.
A2: The biggest problem is that even though we are going to university, we
still have to deal with the dangerous situation in some areas including
kidnapping. We still have to travel through these areas to keep our dream
alive.
Q: How do you plan to give back to the community after you
graduate?
A1: One mission of my university is to serve the community. When I graduate, I
will come back to this area to serve my community in any way that I can. Even
if I do not live here my entire life, I will do what I can to grow whichever
community I live in.
A2: Since I was given the opportunity to attend university, my dream is to come
back to grow my community. Without education, you cannot have a thriving
community.
A3: Our entire group of university students plan to put all of our resources
together to help to educate the children. Just as we were given the opportunity
to succeed, we will help others achieve the same goals.
Q: What are some of your career goals?
A: We were given the opportunity to attend university, but many others did not
have that opportunity. Our goals are to help the poorer members of the
community. We have already started helping the students prepare for their
exams.
Q: What advice would you give the next group of students
beginning their university studies?
A: I have begun tutoring students who are preparing to begin their university
studies. Last year, I tutored five students before they went to university. I
am always available to help young students preparing to take that next step.
We are so proud of all that these students have achieved and we cannot wait to see how they impact the next generation of students. Brother Arie has a goal to bring this same program to twelve more students across nine other schools in the area. This will allow these schools who also face a teacher shortage in their areas to educate and train students from their community to become future teachers. This model allows students to build up the community around them and create more jobs.
Please see the below video of the students:
Our Lady of Guadalupe University Students
The University Program at Our Lady of Guadelupe consists of ten very smart, motivated students. They are currently in their second year of university classes to become teachers. We asked them a few questions and they asked very insightful questions of us:
Interview with Our Lady of Guadelupe Students:
Q: Why do you want to become a teacher?
A1: As a teacher, you get to shape yourself and shape the students around you.
When you are educated, you see the world differently and you do not get drawn
into the bad paths of life. You then can help others do good things in their
lives. With education, you can help someone open doors to improve their life.
A2: To be a teacher, you have to have love in your heart. We want to share this
love with the students.
A3: It is not easy to be a teacher. In my heart, I love the kids. My goal for
the kids is to form them into students who will succeed in our society.
Q: What have been some of the challenges of your studies and
how did you overcome them?
A: The first thing has been the situation in our country [with the unrest and
government corruption]. If you pray, God will help you through. You also need
to have a goal and a path to follow, so that even with the bad situation in the
country, you will achieve your goals.
Q: How do you plan to give back to the community after you
graduate?
A1: After I graduate, my plan is to help the children to understand what they
can achieve through learning and promote education.
A2: My goal for after I graduate is to help the children by creating a reading
club so that they can excel in school.
A3: We have already started teaching students before we graduate so we are
already sharing our knowledge with the children. For example, I am in charge of
the school’s library. When you educate the children, you are helping the whole
community. Every person has someone who helps them to achieve their education
and we are able to do that in turn for other children.
Questions for us from the students:
Q: With the issues with our country, what do you see in the
young people of Haiti?
A (Bob): The one word that we describe the Haitian people is ‘love’. I have
never felt more at home than in Haiti. Yes, there are problems in the country,
but I see nothing but love and everyone wants the best for others. I can’t help
but want the best for you.
Q: When you hear bad things happening in Haiti in the news,
how do you feel?
A (Lauren): I worry about the people in Haiti, I worry about how things will be
when I travel here. But I know that we are meant to come here and do what we
can.
A (Bob): I am very sad when I read about things happening here because I know
that it is only a small portion of people doing these things. Most Haitians are
like you and just want what is best for their country.
We are excited to see these students progress through their university studies. As they have shown through their answers, these students have a very good understanding of how important their job as educators is and the need to help every student succeed. Please consider sponsoring one of these students by visiting the Donate and Get Involved page.
Notre Dame de la Charité Orphanage
The Holy Spirit Haiti Mission supports the Notre Dame de la Charité orphanage in Haiti which currently provides for over seventy children. These children have been placed at the orphanage because they cannot be supported otherwise. Eliane is the director of the orphanage and works tirelessly to raise the children in a loving and supportive environment. She has recently begun a catering business which helps the orphanage offset some of the costs. The Holy Spirit Haiti Mission is working with the orphanage to allow them to become increasingly self sufficient. Unfortunately, the costs of running the orphanage are increasing due to the steep inflation increases that Haiti is experiencing as well as the increasing number of children at the orphanage. We are continually looking for sponsors who would like to help a child in need. The $700 sponsorship of each child pays for their housing, education, and supplies for the year. Throughout the year, sponsors will have several opportunities to write letters to their sponsored child and receive letters in response. This allows the children to know that someone is thinking and praying for them which really means a lot. Please consider sponsoring one of the children at the Notre Dame de la Charité orphanage by visiting the Donate and Get Involved page to make a donation.
Vocational Technical Woodworking School
The Holy Spirit Haiti Mission (HSHM) supports several education initiatives. Haitians value education greatly, but many cannot afford it. And just like here, education is often the key to pulling someone out of poverty. With an education, a person can not only earn a living wage for themselves but also contribute to their communities, giving them a sense of dignity.
The HSHM often works closely with a religious order known as the Little Brothers of Saint Therese. The brothers already run a school with 400+ students, but they wanted to give an additional opportunity for some students to learn a useful trade. In particular, they are trying to start a vocational technical woodworking school. The students have just begun their first year of studies and thanks to the many generous supporters, the students have the tools they need to begin.
The Votech School students were practicing their hands on carpentry skills when we arrived. They each took turns using hand saws, planes, and other hand tools on scrap pieces of wood to hone their skills. We were able to interview Modeler who is a former Palmiste-au-Vin University Program student. After graduating with his degree in carpentry, he is now in charge of teaching the Votech Carpentry School. We were also able to interview two students at the school, Belizaine and Mosanto, about their first-year experience.
Interview with Modeler, the teacher of the Votech Carpentry School:
Q: What do you like most about the Votech Carpentry School?
A: The most important thing for me is to be able to share my knowledge of carpentry that I learned at university with the young students.
Q: What do you see happening at the school in 3 years?
A: In 3 years, the students will be able to graduate with a job in carpentry and be able to support themselves and their families.
Q: Where do you think they will be able to get a job?
A: First the graduates will need to begin with their own work to show their carpentry skills and then they will be able to work for other businesses.
Q: Do you have everything you need to make these students successful after they graduate?
A: At the moment, we have all of the tools and materials that we need. However, during the second year of study, we will need to begin working with power tools which we do not have.
Q: What are the ages of the students at the Votech Carpentry School?
A: The students are 15-18 years old.
Q: When do the students study at the Votech Carpentry School?
A: We have two days of study, on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the students have one hour of practice with hands on learning. The remaining time is spent in classroom studies on carpentry.
Q: How many students are in the Votech Carpentry School?
A: 16 students
Q: How were these students chosen to be part of the Votech Carpentry School?
A: The superior of the school and Modeler interviewed each student, 32 total, to determine which ones were most passionate about the Votech Carpentry School.
Interview with Belizaine (17 years old), a student at the school:
Q: Why did you apply to go to the Votech Carpentry School?
A: Because I love carpentry and I want to build furniture.
Q: Do you have carpenters in your family?
A: My cousin and other family members are carpenters.
Q: How did you feel when you learned that you were selected to attend the Votech Carpentry School?
A: I was very very happy to learn that I was selected because I love carpentry and I want to get a job in this area.
Q: What is the first thing that you want to make when you get the opportunity?
A: A bench or a chair.
Interview with Mosanto (15 years old), a student at the school:
Q: Why did you want to attend the Votech Carpentry School?
A: I want to have a carpentry certification before I graduate. I want to be able to build my own furniture for my household when I start a family.
Q: What is your favorite part of the classes so far?
A: I like using the hand saws.
Q: What is the first piece of furniture that you would like to make on your own?
A: A box to save money in.
Q: Will you begin your own business or join another business?
A: I would like to begin my own business and sell furniture in Jacmel because there is a large population there to buy furniture.
Q: How are you going to find customers to buy your furniture?
A: I am going to advertise my business and put my furniture near the road where people can see them.
The most striking aspect of each of these students is their ambition! Each one of them has a life plan and they are motivated to achieve it. It was incredible to see that they do not plan on letting the state of the country hold them back from achieving their goals.
After speaking with Modeler and the students, we performed an audit on the tools at the school. We are pleased to report that all tools are accounted for and are being well cared for. We are very excited to see these students progress through their next two years of carpentry studies and into their careers. Each student that graduates will not only be able to support themselves with a well-paying job, but they will also be able to support their families which helps the entire community.
As with all of HSHM’s projects, we insist on accountability. We will be monitoring the school and the progress of the students, and will provide the parish with updates. But we know that the brothers are highly motivated to make this program a success. This 3-year course is accredited by the Haitian State Educational Institute which also administers the end-of-semester tests. After the course, the students will receive an official certificate, and the brothers will help them to enter the workforce.
The students are almost finished with their first year of classes and are getting ready to begin their second year which incorporates power tools. We are in need of donations for the second year tools. These will be housed in a new classroom that is being built for the students to use year after year. This valuable schooling will allow the students to graduate with a trade degree and support themselves and their community. Please consider purchasing tools from our Amazon wishlist at the link here. We also welcome donations of any size made to the Votech Carpentry School Tool Fund here.
