Day 16

1 day of school education and a meal for a child in Haiti

Fighting Poverty with Education

Offering children and young people in Haiti a chance

Day by day, Samuela decides whether it's safe to go to school – even though it's not far away. She doesn't wear her school uniform today to avoid being recognized as a student by gang members on the street. In recent years, classes were often not held in person due to COVID-19 and later because of gang violence in Port-au-Prince. The walk to school can still suddenly become life-threatening every day. However, Samuela was lucky in her misfortune: her teachers and classmates have become creative experts in improvisation over time. Sometimes assignments were sent via WhatsApp, and sometimes worksheets were even brought to her home. Thanks to these brave ideas, Samuela hasn't missed too much of her lessons. And today, everything works out: she sets off on her way, looking forward to learning, seeing her friends, and enjoying a delicious lunch at school.

Sänger Max Mutzke stellt dir sein Lieblingsprojekt vor

need

Education and school meals for disadvantaged children and young people in Haiti

activity

The local NGO Fondation St. Luc provides free schooling and offers children and young people a hot meal every day

Measurable performance

Number of students who are taught and enjoy a hot meal every day

Result

Compared to the previous year, it is expected that the measures will enable around 360 more children and young people to attend school

Systemically relevant impact

More children and young people from disadvantaged families go to school - their educational opportunities and future prospects are improved

background

In 1804, Haiti became the first black republic in the world after the first successful slave revolution (Buck-Morss, 2011). However, it was immediately isolated from the rest of the world (Ehl, 2024). France, which had previously colonized Haiti, lost its most valuable source of sugar and coffee and demanded "reparations" from Haiti. Under pressure and in order to continue participating in world trade, Haiti ended up paying France dozens of billions of euros over the next century (Ehl, 2024). Haiti never recovered from these massive debts, and their effects are still felt today. Many families do not have enough money to send their children to school.

Haiti has been plagued by gang violence for years. In 2020, nine rival gangs formed an alliance, led by Chérizier (alias "Barbecue"), who compares himself to Malcolm X and Fidel Castro (Ehl, 2024). By 2024, 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is under gang control. This gang violence has resulted in numerous deaths and, according to UNICEF, contributed to 170,000 Haitian children becoming internally displaced (UNICEF, 2024). The ongoing migration of skilled workers from Haiti provides safety for some but has created a shortage of local professionals. Haitians who take to the streets to protest against the violence are risking their lives. For security reasons, Germany, the EU, and the USA have withdrawn their embassy staff (Deutsche Welle, 2024). Nevertheless, local professionals continue to maintain the desperately needed school operations as much as possible.

The primary victims of the conflict on Haiti's streets are young people, whose education should be a high priority. Statistics show that 80% of children and adolescents who have not received an education in Haiti today live in poverty (The World Bank, 2014).

The good deed

360 children and adolescents from disadvantaged families in Port-au-Prince are receiving free access to education and a warm meal—from kindergarten to 9th grade. The Cité Soleil neighborhood faces significant poverty, and the streets are not safe. This project enhances educational opportunities and provides financial relief to families. Children and adolescents are supported in obtaining their state-recognized graduation. Even in the current insecure situation, local teachers are doing everything they can to keep the schools open. A good education and a daily warm meal are helping to improve the future prospects of young Haitians.