Children living in poverty face many barriers to accessing an education. Some are more obvious such as a lack of schools in a mountain village. Other barriers are more subtle – like teachers lacking the training needed to help children learn effectively.
Barrier #1: A Lack of Funding for Education
Developing countries like Haiti cannot rely solely on the government for education. Governments in these countries do not have the resources to build and run schools (either due to financial constraints or corruption) and children suffer.
The vast majority of schools in Haiti are privately run and rely on tuition paid by families to operate. During good times, these schools can struggle to bring in enough income to pay teachers. During difficult times, many schools are forced to close their doors due to lack of funds.
How You are Helping
When you support World Wide Village you are helping to build and run schools in rural areas of Haiti! When you sponsor a student through World Wide Village, a portion of your monthly donations go directly to paying teachers’ salaries so schools can stay open and continue to provide an education, even in difficult times.
In 2024, you helped build five new classrooms for two different schools in Luly, Haiti. This opened access for more children to attend school. Thank you!
Barrier #2: The Expense of Education
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes clear that every child has the right to a basic education. Poverty and lack of money should not be a barrier to schooling. But for many of the poorest families in Haiti, school remains too expensive.
Children are forced to stay at home doing chores or working themselves. Or worse, children find themselves on the streets, recruited by gangs who will provide food and shelter. Families remain locked in a cycle of poverty that goes on for generations.
How You are Helping
When you choose a special child to sponsor through World Wide Village, that child can attend school without the burden of paying tuition. This breaks down the main barrier facing many families who live in poverty.
It is a priceless gift and helps to break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty so prevalent in Haiti.
Barrier #3: Untrained Teachers
Teacher effectiveness has been found to be one of the most important predictors of student learning. According to recent studies, there are not enough trained teachers to achieve universal primary or secondary education in Haiti.
As a result, many children aren’t receiving a proper education. Numerous children who are currently in school are not learning basic skills like reading, writing and math. Children with learning disabilities are often the most disadvantaged.
How You are Helping
First, World Wide Village is supporting the next generation of teachers in Haiti. Any World Wide Village sponsored student who graduates from high school and passes the national exam has the opportunity to earn a full-ride scholarship to major in education. Ruth-Merline Ceraphin was our most recent graduate to earn this scholarship. She spends her weeks taking college courses to become a primary school teacher. She also has the opportunity for hands-on learning in the kindergarten class at the Luly School!
Second, schools that can regularly pay competitive salaries are better able to recruit “normalien teachers” who are graduates of Haitian teaching colleges. Thanks to the faithful giving of our sponsors, our partner-schools strive to hire normalien teachers and keep the level of education high.
Third, teachers in the World Wide Village partner-schools often participate in teacher trainings over the summer or Christmas breaks. These trainings help teachers understand students with special needs, how to manage a classroom and more.
Barrier #4: Hunger and Poor Nutrition
The impact of hunger on a child’s education can be damaging. Hunger can make it difficult for children to focus in class. It can affect a child’s ability to reason, think, and remember information. Hunger can lead to lower scores in vocabulary and word recognition and cause developmental delays in language, motor skills, and behavior.
Some studies even suggest that being severely malnourished, to the point it impacts brain development, can be equivalent to losing four grades of schooling.
How You are Helping
Sponsorship donations not only allow a child to attend school without the burden of paying tuition, they also provide school lunches! A plate of rice and beans might not look like much, but to a child who is hungry, it is life-giving!
Thank you for building up education in Haiti and changing the world one student at a time!