 Students of Mr. DuClair’s 3rd grade class |
Jessica Jean-Francois, Program Assistant, June 1st 2011
After the 2010 earthquake in Port au Prince, Jean Paul II Congregational School in the community of Baradères provided 25 internally displaced students with free admission, books, uniforms, and school supplies with which to continue their education. With an enrollment of about 490 students from the surrounding area, the John Paul II School finds that many parents cannot pay the 1,485 goud (or $37 US) needed for their children to go to school. Despite how poverty leaves parents unable to pay their students’ school fees, Director Sister Alouse makes it clear: “We cannot turn them away.” Some parents pay what they can, but since most pay little to nothing, the school must find other ways to provide a quality education. Working with Hope for Haiti, the school provides consistent salaries for teachers, books and notebooks to every student, and access to purified water. Hope for Haiti also supports the health of the school and wider community by supporting the nearby clinic which is also run by the same order of dedicated and passionate Haitian sisters.
Walking onto the school ground, which sits on top of a hill, we were greeted by the 5th and 6th grade classes as they commenced their recess period. Upon entering each classroom, we received a chorus of “Bonjour, chére visiteur!” (Hello, dear visitor!) and with every exit “Au revoir, chére visiteur!” (Goodbye, dear visitor!). Large classrooms of smiling faces were eager to meet and share a moment with us. The school, which includes 7 classrooms serving the primary school grades, as well as open-air classrooms at the bottom of the hill to serve its preschoolers and a third grade class, is still growing and improving. Constantly pushing its students, the schoolteachers gather lessons from many different sources to create a curriculum that prepares students for national exams and ensures that they are ready for the next grade and beyond. During our meeting to discuss updates, Sister Alouse, was eager to do more and wanted to discuss her plans to continue improving the school.
 Paula Prince, Program Assistant, with 2nd grade class at John Paul II Congregational School |
 John Paul II Congregational School |
 Students of one pre-school class hard at work. |
From parent/teacher meetings and applications to food programs to rigorous exams, the school constantly finds and maintains solutions to student and community issues. With class sizes ranging from 33 to 46 students, the school is still willing to expand to fit the needs of the community and hopes to create a new pre-school class for the next school year, which will enroll 3 year olds for the first time. Knowing the importance of early education and the impact that it has on child development, I am impressed. In light of their longstanding partnership with Hope for Haiti and their commitment to educational quality, we want to do everything possible to enable Jean Paul II Congregational School to expand and to guarantee that the hundreds of students that want to attend are able to do so whether they can afford it or not.