There are few public schools in Haiti. In fact, four out of five Haitian students must attend private schools. These private schools are often no more than lentos with dirt floors, overcrowded with children who have few if any books and who sit shoulder to shoulder on rickety benches before a teacher who is poorly paid and rarely qualified to teach. In spite of the modest fees most private schools charge, they are still too expensive for many Haitian families to afford. As a result about half of Haiti’s children ever attend school. Of those children who do, only about a quarter manage to complete elementary school.

Saint-Louis Demain, Inc. is committed to making quality education more widely available, especially to Haiti’s poorest children in the neighborhood of Saint-Louis du Nord and La Tortue. The task is daunted. But, through our partners in Haiti, we are investing in a three part strategy that will make a real impact in the lives of thousands of Haitian children

1. Supporting teacher training

2. Providing school material and uniform to children in need

3. Promoting the development of local leadership to manage programs

These strategies will be implemented by interesting volunteer educators in South Florida in coordination with local leaders in Haiti. Dr. Jude Deus, who is an expert in Elementary education, will supervise the program and Saint-Louis Demain, Inc. will invest 35 percent of its resources in this program.