EDUCATION:
While many students are starting summer break in the US, students in Haiti will continue classes through July. Seniors will take their national exams on August 4th and that will officially end the 2023-2024 school year. While it’s been a very rocky and unsettled time, we are proud of our school administrators and staff who have worked so hard to continue providing education during these tremendously challenging times.
It’s been a heartbreaking year as over 30% of the students in our sponsorship program were forced to leave the area as gang violence wreaked havoc in their community. But we are so thankful for our amazing student sponsors who continue to give to and support new students who are struggling with poverty. As this stark situation in Haiti continues, needs continue to rise in our rural area of Haiti. Thank you for helping us meet these needs through sponsorship.
COMPUTER CLASSES:
Last year, the Haitian government made the decision to require all national exams to be taken on computers. This put students in rural areas of Haiti at a huge disadvantage as many schools in the rural areas have limited access to this type of technology or even to electricity.
A big thanks to Church at Viera for providing laptop computers for our partner-schools in Luly. High school students in Luly are now able to learn the basics of computing! This is such an important skill for students to gain as technology becomes more important in daily life in all areas of Haiti – not just the big cities.
MEDICAL CARE:
Sant Sante Espwa has now been open in its new location for six months and the number of patients seeking healthcare continues to grow. We were thrilled to receive a grant from Vitamin Angels again this year to provide Vitamin A and Albendazole to young children and prenatal vitamins to pregnant women.
At a time when many families are falling deeper and deeper into poverty, offering quality healthcare at little to no cost is so important. We believe a mother should not have to choose between feeding her family or receiving prenatal care. Thanks to you, even the poorest families in our area of rural Haiti can receive medical care.
What else is happening in Haiti?
The Saintmius family story, though marked by adversity, is also marked by grit, determination, and blessings.
Despite the challenges in rural Haiti, ten sponsored students continue in college studying nursing and more!