Head Start for 230 Pre-School Children in Haiti

When five- year- old Vanessa arrived at the Petite Riviere Orphanage in July 2013, she clearly had been mistreated by those who had taken care of her after the death of her parents.  She was malnourished, did not mix well with the other orphans, and always seemed fearful.  However, by the time  she  enrolled as a kindergarten student in October 2013 at Ecole Notre Dame du Perpetual Secours, she  had started to adjust and to benefit physically and emotionally from being nurtured and nourished by those in charge of the orphanage.

Today, Vanessa is a healthy, active five- year-old  who  loves school and  has many  friends among both her classmates and the other orphans.  In particular, she enjoys singing and dancing.

Vanessa  and  all  the pre-school children were fortunate to benefit from  implementation of the first phase of the head-start project aimed at improving the quality of early childhood education at Ecole Notre Dame du Perpetuel Secours. Donations received as of  May 2014, representing 18% of  the project cost,  made possible the launch of the program to include  targeted training for the six early childhood teachers and aide teachers as well as a variety of educational materials  aimed at  supporting  the cognitive development, creative expression, language and literacy.  But much remains to be done to ensure full implementation of the project.

The teacher-student ratio is still  a very high 1: 37  -- three times the recommended  ratio for pre-school classes.  More and better trained teachers are key to the success of the project.  Moreover, a greater selection of activities must be offered  to support learning in the various developmental areas: cognitive, creative, language, physical, social and emotional.  We must  establish better links  between  teachers and  parents. There is also  a great need for parental education  related to  practices and customs which impact negatively on the survival, protection and participation of the children at home and at school.  Further, problems related to the  quality of the school's infrastructure and facilities  (e.g. no designated place for the school canteen, no running water, no electricity) need to be addressed.

School principal sister Christiane, children, parents and teachers as well as PHC are extremely grateful  to each and everyone of you who have through Global Giving made the launch of this early childhood education project possible.

We urgently need your continued support to fully implement the project and  give the children a chance for productive lives.  We also count on your advocacy of PHC among your friends and  family.