More schools for children in Haiti

Before the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, the situation for educating children was dire. Most of schools were run privately and thus many families could not afford to pay the high school fees; there were no common curricula in place; the level of training of teaching staff was generally poor.

That’s why SOS Children’s Villages has placed a strong emphasis on rebuilding and newly building schools in Haiti’s reconstruction.  That is also why we are placing an emphasis on training teachers as well.

Working in cooperation, with the University of Quisqueya and with the Centre d'Accompagnement et de Formation pour la Transformation (CAFT), some 1,330 pupils in Port-au-Prince now have access to primary and secondary education under significantly improved conditions including a computer lab, a library, a room for psychosocial assistance and a playground. There is also space available for training  teachers as well.  

On October 5, there was a ceremony celebrating the opening of 14 additional classrooms at the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School in Santo, Port-au-Prince, allowing some 490 pupils to have the chance for high-quality education.

"SOS Children's Villages gives high value to education and training because good education opens opportunities for the child's future which cannot be overestimated in its importance", said Francis Faroutine, coordinator of educational programs for SOS Children's Villages in Haiti at the ceremony. Also present were Peter Schick, the German Ambassador to Haiti, the chairman of the education committee of CLIO (Le Cadre de Liaison Inter-ONG) and representatives of partner organisations.  

In February this year, SOS Children's Villages completed the reconstructed community school in Santo, which was destroyed during the earthquake. This school was initially built and run by community members to enable their children to have primary education. The renovated school now caters for 500 children by teaching classes in two shifts.

 In the coming weeks, four newly built public schools will be opened in the communities of Sudre, Guilgaud, Tellier and Leger in the remote Southern region of Haiti. These projects were implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education. Construction work on a new SOS School in Les Cayes for another 500 pupils is expected to start in November this year.