Education - One Mind at a Time
Education is the building block for everything: health, nutrition, leadership, democracy, and fiscal development. In order for a country to develop economically, it must invest in all levels and spectrum of education. While we are start at the beginning by providing basic education to the next generation, we look for ways to education communities and build skills among adults.
Educating Children
The literacy rate in Haiti for those over 15 years of age is 61% and one in four children is not in school. In the rural communities where we work, access to schools can be difficult for children, especially secondary schools. Where schools are close, fees often prevent students from attending.
Hope for Haitians has provided uniforms, school supplies, transportation, meal programs, and tuition aid to many student. In addition efforts have been made to assist vocational students learning trades that will brighten not only their futures but the future of the villages where they live.
Educating Communities
Creating a group of homes close to other does not create a community. One of our most recent initiatives is to work with Village councils chosen by the members of the community. We train them to cooperatively manage projects such as raising goats and chickens for food and income.
Looking Forward
Hope for Haitians is currently evaluating the educational opportunities in each village we serve to determine the next step to developing a longer term plan to ensure our efforts are fruitful.
Related to the education of children we are looking at encouraging more consistency in attendance, ensuring students in school learn the skills needed to pass exams for further education, and matriculation in grade levels.
For adults, we are examining micro-loan programs and technical training for adults. One of Hope for Haitians strengths is our desire to cooperatively partner with with other non-profits that excel in a particular area, such as education. We know what we do well and we look for partners that are exceptional in areas that are not part of our core strengths but are needed to realize the fullest potential of the communities where we work.