HAPPY HAITIAN FLAG DAY!
Today, the people of Haiti will celebrate the culture and heritage of their country on Flag Day! Haitians love and take pride in their country. Many of the children in the WWV schools even share that Flag Day is their favorite holiday of the year! We want to celebrate with our Haitian friends today by recognizing the wonderful parts of Haiti AND helping create a better Haiti – a Haiti where all children have access to education.
Will you help create a better Haiti and sponsor a student today?
Nadege Antenor and Stephania Latouche are friends in the small fishing village of Luly, Haiti. Nadege’s father works hard as a fisherman, but struggles to provide an education for his four children. Stephania’s father drives a taxi, but does not earn enough to send his kids to school each year. Nadege hopes to become a doctor and Stephania has dreams of becoming a nurse. A sponsorship would mean the world to these two young girls.
Lenka Desir is a 9-year old girl from the small fishing village of Luly, Haiti. She loves to play hide-n-seek and listen to hip hop music with her five brothers. Lenka’s father is a fisherman, but he doesn’t always earn enough to send all of his children to school. Lenka dreams of someday becoming a teacher.
Tony Pelicier is a 13-year old boy who someday hopes to become a doctor. He loves to play soccer and to learn. Even though Tony is behind in school because of poverty, he has already passed the nearly 50% of the adults in his village who cannot read or write. Tony’s dad sells sugarcane in the market and desires for his son to get a good education.
Julenelson Rene is a 10-year old boy who can often be heard singing, “This is the Day that the Lord has Made!” With no parents able to care for him, Julenelson lives with his godmother. He dreams of someday becoming a lawyer to help people and loves to play soccer. A sponsorship would be such a blessing in his life, allowing him to continue attending school without the burden of tuition.
HAITI FUN FACTS
Did you know?
Haiti has 1,100 miles of coastline, the second longest in the Caribbean… and it’s beautiful!
The name Haiti (or Ayiti in Creole) comes from the native Taino people’s description of their island which means, “land of high mountains.”
Haitian currency is called the Haitian Gourde and was named after the gourd, a vegetable which was not only an important food source in the 1700’s, but also dried and used as common household utensils such as bottles, bowls and spoons.
Haiti’s national flower is the Hibiscus. It’s a beautiful pink flower that is also delicious in tea!
69% of Haiti’s exported goods are t-shirts, sweatshirts and pullovers. Haiti is also known for exporting oil, cocoa, coffee and mangoes.
Haiti has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the Caribbean. Along with its neighbor, the Dominican Republic, the country has 5,600 species of plants living in nine life zones from sea level to mountain tops!
Thank you for celebrating Haitian Flag Day with us and helping create a better Haiti!