For most of her life, Fabie François didn’t know how she would stay in school. She lost both of her parents when she was young and her grandmother, the one person she could always count on, had no income.
Chief Development Officer Melinda Miles meets Fabie during a scholarship student meeting in June 2026.
Paying for tuition, books, and even food was a daily struggle. Her future was uncertain, but Fabie never stopped dreaming and working hard to succeed in school.
Then the Hope for Haiti scholarship program gave her the hand up she needed to thrive.
Today, Fabie is in her third year studying agronomy at the American University of the Caribbean and on track to earn a university degree along with her 42 fellow Hope for Haiti scholarship recipients.
The scholarship Hope for Haiti’s donors made possible gave Fabie more than tuition. At the program’s quarterly scholar meetings, Fabie found mentorship, support, and a new confidence. Her entrepreneurial spirit came alive. With her tuition covered, she was able to save a little of the money she earned cleaning homes to and start a poultry business at her grandmother’s home.
It wasn’t easy. Early on, she lost 70 hens to illness. But the determination the scholarship program helped her build and the support of her fellow students carried her through. That business is now AgroFa, a poultry farm and vegetable garden. It pays for Fabie’s food, books, clothes, and transportation, so she can focus on her studies.
Scholarship Coordinator Junior Cornelien visits Fabie’s chicken coop.
Fabie is clear about where it all started: She says none of this could have happened without the Hope for Haiti scholarship program. It changed her outlook, and it gave her the means to begin.
Now she’s thinking bigger. In 10 to 15 years, Fabie wants to lead an agricultural business that supplies all of Haiti. She hopes more Haitian women will follow her lead, starting businesses, creating jobs, and building the local food supply in their communities.
That’s what a scholarship can do. It doesn’t just pay for one student’s education. It opens up a whole future, where a scholar can go on to employ, feed, and inspire.
Right now there are students across Haiti with the same drive Fabie has. They just need the chance to stay in school. Please, make your gift today to help make more stories like Fabie’s possible.
$1,000 can provide a full year’s scholarship to a student in Haiti. If you can’t make a $1,000 donation today, please think about setting up a monthly recurring donation to maximize your impact on ambitious and hardworking Haitian students!
With gratitude,
Melinda Miles
Chief Development Officer
Hope for Haiti
P.S. Fabie’s journey started with one scholarship provided by our donors. Please give today to help the next Haitian student stay in school, grow, and lead. Support a scholar now →
