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. They all need to be overcome!
Barrier #5: Living in a country in conflict
There are many causalities that come with gang war, and one of those is the educational system. While many Haitian families prioritize education, it can be virtually impossible for children to safely attend school in some areas of Haiti right now. In October, just one month into this school year, many of our sponsored students and their families were forced to flee due to gang violence. Many families re-settled in areas far away from their home and school, leading to barrier #6.
Barrier #6: Distance from home to school
For many children around the world, a walk to school of several miles in each direction is not uncommon. In Haiti, many children who were forced to flee their homes have now relocated extremely far away from their school. This often means children will be forced to drop out of school or struggle with chronic absenteeism as transportation is unaffordable for most families.
How You are Helping
In the past, your sponsorship dollars have supported a handful of schools in Williamson and Luly, Haiti. Today, because of the dire circumstances due to ongoing gang violence, your sponsorship dollars are following your sponsored student. In many situations it has allowed our students to attend school close to where they are currently living – even if they were forced to flee and are unable to return home. Our hopes and prayers are that our sponsored students will be able to continue in school even while they are living displaced from home, but will be able to safely return home soonl
Barrier #7: No classrooms
A child will struggle to learn without the right environment. Many schools in Haiti have overcrowded classrooms and noisy environments that are barriers to learning. Many schools are forced to combine grade levels because of lack of space.
How You are Helping
Over the last year, you helped build five new classrooms in rural Haiti! These classrooms make learning more accessible for students of all ages and allow better environments for teaching. Thank you!
Barrier #8: A lack of learning materials
Outdated and worn-out textbooks are often shared by six or more students in many parts of the world. If a student does not have access to textbooks, they often fall behind in their studies. Unfortunately, student sponsorship funding cannot cover the additional costs of textbooks and many families still struggle to provide everything their child needs to be successful.
How You are Helping
Students in greatest need in the WWV Sponsorship Program can receive assistance with textbooks and school supplies. When you donate toward special fundraisers for school essentials, you are providing students with everything they need to have success in the classroom.
A special thank you to our sponsors for building up education in Haiti and changing the world one student at a time!