Textbooks for 851 primary school children in Haiti

Haiti’s future lies in the hands of its children and the facts are staggering.  50% of children in Haiti do not attend school (World Bank 2013).  Only 29% of Haitians 25 and above have attended secondary school.  Haiti’s literacy rate is 61% (CIA Factbook Nov 2015), while the average literacy rate for Latin American and Caribbean developing countries is 92% (World Bank 2015)  The educational development of our young people is paramount not only to the survival of society, but to help it thrive.

Thanks to donors at GlobalGiving and Vision for Haiti, the 620 students in the rural Haitian village of Meyer that received the 5,600 textbooks are not just doing well in school this year, they are thriving!  All schools are reporting marked improvements in the students enrolled in the book program.  Students have drastically improved their reading skills and some have even performed so well on their midyear exams, their scores have placed them in the top 1st percentile.  With these amazing results, students, parents and teachers are beyond excited to register for the book program for the upcoming school year.  With your continued support, Vision for Haiti can continue to support these students and their families in their pursuit to improve their lives and their communities.

Vision for Haiti would like to thank GlobalGiving and all the supporters who are making this hope come true. Please continue to give generously so we can complete our goal to give books to all the students of Meyer, Haiti.

Thanks to donors at GlobalGiving and Vision for Haiti, 620 students in the rural Haitian village of Meyer received 5,600 textbooks they could never have afforded on their own. In September 2015, a large truck carrying boxes of school books made its way up winding mountain roads and rutted paths into the rural village of Meyer, located 2 hours south of Port au Prince.

Vision for Haiti launched its Textbook Program to serve the families in this isolated community who often do not have enough money to buy food or supplies, and cannot afford to send their children to school. They do, however, understand the value of an education. “Education gives us hope,” said one grandmother who registered her four grandchildren for the Vision for Haiti Textbook Program. She wants to provide these children with a resource she never had, and one that could help them have a better life.

Through the one month campaign on GlobalGiving’s website, Vision for Haiti was able to raise over $5,000, representing one-sixth of the total cost of the program. The cost per student is $38, multiplied by 851 children in grades 1 – 6, for a total program cost of $32,338.

Vision for Haiti worked throughout the year to raise the necessary funds by making phone calls to family and friends, hosting a dance, selling water bottles and utilizing GlobalGiving’s extensive on-line presence.

On delivery day, Vision for Haiti volunteers were met with huge smiles by the children, their teachers and their parents. Beatrice Marseille, president of Vision for Haiti, said, “It is a blessing to be able to provide the tools needed to help the children receive an education. When they have an education, they gain so much. They will have hope.”

While on this trip, Beatrice Marseilles received congratulations from Minister Francois Guilluame II, Minister of Haitians Living Abroad, for accomplishing such an important project for the children of Haiti. A native of Meyer, Haiti, and now living and working in the United States as a Nurse Practitioner, Beatrice has returned each year to provide medical care through Vision for Haiti medical missions, and now a successful textbook program.

Vision for Haiti would like to thank GlobalGiving and all the supporters who are making this hope come true. Please continue to give generously so we can complete our goal to give books to all the students of Meyer, Haiti.