Access to education doesn’t come easily to most families in southern Haiti. Between the cost of tuition and school supplies and the insecurity that has been a pressing issue in the country for years now, far too many children have found themselves unable to attend school. Newnkerlie was almost one of those many children.
“I come from a very poor family, but thank God, I have always been very smart and lucky,” said Newnkerlie. 
Four years ago, Newnkerlie graduated with fantastic marks from St. Thomas Secondary School, one of Hope for Haiti’s partner schools in southern Haiti. Despite finishing at the top of her class, Newnkerlie knew her family wouldn’t be able to afford to send her to university.
She said, “My mom, Rosemarie, was a small vendor who went bankrupt because of the country’s security situation, and my dad, Mesmer, is a tailor who struggles to provide for the family.”
That’s when the family learned about Hope for Haiti’s scholarship program, the JoAnne and Carl Kuehner Scholarship Fund, which currently provides tuition for 50 students enrolled in post-secondary education programs. Newnkerlie was selected, based on her merit and her need, and Hope for Haiti provided her tuition for four years of nursing school.
“At St. Thomas, Hope for Haiti always equipped us with school supplies, provided us with health education and best hygiene practices, and subsidized our school tuition for years, which allowed hundreds of disadvantaged children like me complete our secondary education,” Newnkerlie said about her decision to pursue nursing.
Just last month, after four years of dedication and hard work, Newnkerlie graduated as laureate of her class and became a certified nurse, fulfilling her childhood dream. She says that she hopes to help take care of her community the way the Hope for Haiti Public Health team always did for her.
“If it hadn’t been for my parents, I never would have made it this far in my educational journey,” said Newnkerlie. “I feel I owe my success today to a lot of people, especially Hope for Haiti which has been supporting me since I was in middle school. They gave me a scholarship to go to college, which has changed my life completely. Thanks to that opportunity I was given four years ago, now, I am a nurse. This accomplishment today symbolizes hope for me and my family, and all this happened thanks to Hope for Haiti.”
You can support education for students like Newnkerlie now at hopeforhaiti.com/education.
