Nourishment, Safety & Infrastructure in Haiti

End of Term at Grace and Glory Academy (Lanzac, Haiti)

The past few months in Lanzac have been hot and dry. The kind of heat that builds early in the day and settles in by midday. Dust hangs in the air, and most activity starts in the morning before the sun gets too strong. In that setting, the school continues to open each day, and the routine holds.

Students arrive in the morning with their backpacks, gathering with friends before moving into class. It’s a simple start, but it’s consistent, and that consistency matters. The day unfolds the same way it has all year—lessons, breaks, meals, and dismissal—without much variation. In a place where a lot can feel unpredictable, the school runs on a schedule that students and teachers both rely on.

Inside the classrooms, learning is steady and visible. Younger students are still working through the basics—letters, sounds, reading out loud together. There’s a lot of repetition, a lot of call-and-response, and teachers keeping the pace. In the older grades, students are working through more advanced material, being called up to the board, correcting mistakes, trying again. It’s not flashy, but it’s focused.

One of the clearer moments this term came when student performance was recognized. Several students earned averages of 9.80 and above, while others reached averages around 8. They were given medals and small cards in front of their peers. It was a simple acknowledgment, but it reflected something real—students are not just attending, they’re progressing.

Reading has also been a visible part of the classroom environment. Around World Book Day, students spent time with books in hand, working through reading exercises and stories. For some, it’s still very early stages, but the habit is being built. You can see it in how they handle the books, how they follow along, how they try.

Meals continue to be part of the day, and while they don’t draw attention to themselves, their impact is obvious. After students eat, the classroom shifts. There’s more focus, more participation, fewer distractions. For many of them, this is a dependable meal, and it makes the rest of the day possible.

The school itself remains a controlled environment. Teachers are present, students are supervised, and the day moves with purpose. Even during lighter moments, that structure doesn’t fall away. One student, for example, has been practicing a welcome song she’ll sing at the year-end gathering in July. She stands up in front of others and works through it, getting more comfortable each time. It’s a small moment, but it shows confidence growing in a real way.

There have been other moments throughout the term—students exchanging Valentine’s cards, small group activities tied to things like Earth Day—but they fit into the larger rhythm of the school rather than distracting from it. The focus remains on learning, on showing up, on moving forward.

As the year comes to a close, preparations for the July end-of-year activities are underway, but the core of the work hasn’t changed. Students continue to arrive each morning. Classes are being taught. Meals are being served. The environment remains steady.

In Lanzac, that kind of consistency is not something to take for granted. It’s something that’s built and maintained day by day.