Children and Education in Haiti
In Tortuga Island, Haiti, the monthly salary for a teacher is just above $700 Haitian gourdes which equate to $25 a month USD. To pay teachers, school directors request that parents pay 1/3 of their child's annual tuition. This, unfortunately, results in fewer children attending school because parents cannot afford the fee required to cover tuition.But finding qualified educators and teachers on the island is not an easy task. Training to become a teacher is hardly accessible. After graduating from high school, most young people find their way to the US for a better life for themselves and the families they leave behind.
For children who can attend school, they face many challenges that greatly affect their academic success. On the island of Tortuga, for example, some school buildings also serve as churches, which are poorly built and have very little to no furniture. Classrooms are simply not up to educational specification to encourage learning when compared to American schools.
Most children on the island go to school hungry or without school supplies.
Empowering Future Generations
These children are bright and can excel, but the lack of resources and supplies negatively impacts their ability to advance academically. Elevate Them wants to change this.
In 2019, Elevate Them shipped school supplies and backpacks to the school sponsored on Tortuga Island, Haiti. Every student and teacher received a t-shirt that they could wear on Fridays to help preserve their uniforms. They were also sent essential hygiene products such as toothbrushes, soaps and toothpaste.
Since then, Elevate Them has provided children at the sponsored school and the Dominican Republic the tools needed to reach their full potential. With school supplies guaranteed each year, these children now have one less thing to worry about. In addition to the resources we provide, we also give these children the confidence they need to steer towards a brighter future.
A pencil today … a classroom tomorrow.
We plan to do more in the upcoming years to provide additional school supplies and build a school with more modern classrooms and technology. This allows the children to have a facility outside of the church building. Elevate Them believes in the power of a proper learning environment capable of nurturing academic development.
Let's help foster proper education on the island of Tortuga together!
