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From Haiti
Blog Post: Say Hello To Our Teachers
The education system in Haiti needs more funding and resources. Teachers are underpaid and often require more resources to provide quality education. Many schools need more basic supplies such as textbooks, desks, chairs, and paper. The lack of resources has led to overcrowding and low student-teacher ratios, making it to teach their students adequately teach their students. Moreover, many teachers need more qualifications and training to teach effectively. In addition, the lack of access to quality education has resulted in a high illiteracy rate, with an estimated 40% of the population unable to read or write.
Despite these challenges, the staff in the school remain committed to providing the students with the best possible education. We are happy to introduce the team behind this wonderful initiative! Read our blog post to see our teacher profiles.
Feb 2023: Student Sponsorships are LIVE
We are happy to announce that student sponsorships for our project in Haiti are now LIVE! If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of children through education, head over to www.impacthope.ca/sponsor-a-student!
Through the sponsorship program, these children gain access to education, nutrition, and other essential resources they need to thrive. By sponsoring a student, you will help them reach their full potential and escape the cycle of poverty. In addition to providing these children with the resources they need, your sponsorship will also help contribute to the development of their communities. ImpactHope also supports community development initiatives in Haiti, such as improving school infrastructure, providing textbooks, and sponsoring teachers.
Our goal is to make a lasting impact on the lives of these children and their communities. We hope you will join us in this effort and become a sponsor today.
Jan 2023
Thanks to all our supporters, there are almost 46 children who have come back to school this year. By God’s grace, the school has been able to feed the children every day!
Here is a note from Marie-Estelle:
“Hello dear friends,
We want to thank God first and then you because you made the Christmas meal possible on Sunday, December 25. We were able to feed 92 people: parents and kids from the school, members of the church, and even some people at home because they couldn’t come.
We served them rice with small beans, fried chicken, fried plantains, potatoes, salad, and dessert.
This brings the community together!!! I can just hear the chatter and delight!”
Dec 2022: These little ones are singing for you!
Hear the little ones express their gratitude through a song. Thank you for bringing a smile to their faces!
From all of the staff and children at Fort Jacques, Merry Christmas and a Blessed Happy New Year!
Building Stronger Walls: May 2022
Marie Estelle, staff, and students are very excited as they receive reports of the generous donors helping them reach the financial goal of $15,000. This money will build another room for the fourth graders and finish walls on the second floor where the children and teachers are doing school.
What we are constructing is a real building made of cement with real windows and doors! Such excitement! The fundraiser finishes in the middle of June. Construction will begin at the end of June when school is out. We are asking our generous donors for help with the last bit of funds!
The Innocence of Childhood: April 2022
There is such joy in seeing children play – we all love hearing the cackling, giggling, and uninhibited screams of joy from children playing together. We are often reminded of a simpler time when life was about having fun and enjoying ourselves.
At this small school in Fort Jacques, Haiti, playtime is fun! They are playing ‘on the bridge, in the river.’ The inside of the circle is the river; the outside is the bridge. When the leader says, “in the river,” the kids jump in and so on.
In the mountains behind Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a small school helping underprivileged children grows every year. Since the earthquake in 2021, a retaining wall has been built to protect the school and its children, but the school’s walls on the second floor need to be finished, and a classroom needs to be built for the fourth-grade students.
The school started with a preschool for 3-year-olds, and a new grade has been added every year since. Most of the 39 children in this school are sponsored, with the money used to feed them and the staff a hot, full protein meal every school day. For many of the children, this is their only meal of the day.
Construction will begin at the end of June to prepare for the next school year. Ann and David, our partners in Haiti, are asking for your support to finish building the walls and classroom this summer. Every little bit given to this project will be a huge blessing!
Pray for Haiti: April 2022
Haiti is still in a political uproar with no security as gangs exert control. Our little school is up at the 4500-foot level and away from the city-centered gangs. Please pray for protection over our missionaries and native people working so hard to help.
Gangs are fighting against each other in an area where there is a home for pregnant moms to get medical attention during their pregnancy and then to be able to birth their child there. In the same area, there is a small school for the poorest of the poor, and all the children have had to stay in lockdown because it’s not safe to be on the streets. It feels like a war out there for the residents who are terrified by the sight of such big weapons. We need peace in this little country. Let’s pray earnestly this week that our Lord will bring peace. Food shortage is also an issue in this area. Thankfully, the community can harvest rainwater in this monsoon season. Please pray for us!
Easter: April 2022
Easter is truly a spiritual celebration in Haiti. Though Easter eggs, gifts, and bunnies are not part of the celebration, the community celebrates the season with fervor and devotion. It is all about Christ’s crucifixion and glorious resurrection. A special service is held at the school, and the children have a celebratory meal after.
March, 2022 – Rood Kelly
We look forward to seeing little ones come to school for the first time. We are so grateful for the work and passion of loving teachers, who make them feel comfortable and encourage them to open up.
Rood Kelly is a sweet little boy who just did not want to go to school. But after attending school and enjoying the fellowship of his teachers and classmates, he began to blossom! Rood Kelly is Grade 3 now. He can read English books and more importantly, the Bible himself! A video here shows him reading out Psalm 23 at the school’s morning devotion.
December 1, 2021
It has been an exciting month in our little school! We now have 38 children ranging from Kindergarten for three-year-olds to grade three. This year the children are in uniform for the first time in our four-year history. Often children coming to school for the first are very shy and quiet. The loving presence of our teachers changes that. I am excited to tell you that our teachers are having some professional training twice a month.
Please pray that peace and justice will reign in Haiti. To be honest I am not sure how to pray! Our school is in the mountains and we are not touched by the riots and kidnappings that are happening in the city. But prices for everything are very high. There are fuel shortages for vehicles and generators. Pray for propane to be available for our cooking purposes. Pray for our students to be able to concentrate and learn their lessons. Pray for the teachers to have creativity and patience. Pray that God will provide for our needs to feed these children and their teachers. We still do not have enough books for the children. Pray for God’s provision.
September 22, 2021 – Loukensly
In Haiti, birthdays are seldom celebrated among those who have little money. Many of the non-educated adults aren’t even sure when their birthday occurs. But here is a story of a little guy who celebrated in a big way at school!
I am Loukensly! I have never had a birthday party until I went to this little school. A nice lady made some cupcakes and iced them for the whole school. I have never eaten a cupcake and the icing was so very yummy! The students and teachers sang Bon Fet! Loukensly! It was sure a happy day for me. I am so thankful to my sponsors who pay so I can go to school.
