Help Mountainside School Fight Illiteracy

Bonswa GlobalGiving Family,

We trust this report finds you in good health and high spirits!

The Journey So Far:

In our previous report, we introduced you to the Mountainside Partner Community's Education Initiative, shedding light on the significant challenges faced by the community since 2010 in securing a safe and permanent space for educating their children. Fast forward to 2022, and our Mountainside Partner Community achieved a remarkable milestone - the construction of the Saul Louis Community School. This multifunctional, earthquake and hurricane-resistant building now serves as a school during the day, transforms into a vocational school by night, hosts church services on Sundays, and provides shelter during the hurricane season and emergency situations.

Weathering the Storm:

Speaking of hurricanes, the yearly hurricane season from June to November took an early, powerful strike this year. 

CNN and The New York Times via Haïti’s Civil Protection Agency, reported heavy rains caused destructive flooding across Haïti in early June. At least 51 people were killed, 140 were injured, and 11 were reported missing as of 6 June. Thousands of people were displaced after a weekend of heavy rainfall and widespread flooding. According to the agency, the heavy rain flooded more than 13,000 homes, displacing people across Haïti.

Parts of the road leading to our Mountainside Partner Community collapsed and required immediate attention. We are grateful to report that no lives were lost on the mountain and the newly constructed Saul Louis Community School, thanks to your generous contributions, withstood the gale-force winds and torrential downpours. The community efficiently managed minimal flooding, ensuring uninterrupted learning and school activities.

Celebrating Haitian Heritage:

On May 18th, our teachers and students joined Haïti and the Haitian Diaspora in celebrating Flag Day, a pivotal holiday in Haïti that commemorates the flag's creation during the Haitian revolution. It serves as a reminder of Haïti’s triumph over colonization and enslavement. During the festivities, the children from our Mountainside Partner Community sang their national anthem with pride.

Challenges, Fortitude and the Future:

Haïti continues to grapple with political and socio-economic crises, exacerbated by ongoing gang violence, which has displaced hundreds of families across the country. A resurgence of cholera, a deadly waterborne disease, has caused numerous hospitalizations and some deaths in Petit-Goâve. In the face of these daunting challenges, the Mountainside Peasant Association, APHD, in collaboration with the teachers of the Saul Louis Community School, took the initiative to kickstart the school year in September. Unfortunately, the overall situation in the country prevented school from commencing in September. October brought heavy rains further delaying the start of school for the families of our Mountainside Partner Community, but we are happy to report that school began in mid-October. The mornings are abuzz with Kindergarten through 6th-grade classes, while the afternoons accommodate 7th and 8th graders. The students, teachers, and parents are brimming with enthusiasm as they embark on this productive academic year. We concur and extend our heartfelt gratitude to you for making this school year possible within the newly constructed Saul Louis Community School.

Beginning in 2022, C2C worked with the Mountainside Peasant Association, APHD, to add the 7th and 8th grade. Looking to the future, we are working with the APHD to add an additional grade to the school each year to have a complete high school in the community by 2028. This will ensure children can safely attend school in their community until they are ready to pursue higher education. Your unwavering support continues to light the path to education, fortitude, and hope in Petit-Goave, Haïti. 

Thank you for being a part of this transformative journey!

Bonswa GlobalGiving Community!

We hope this report finds you well. For the last 12 years, our Mountainside Partner Community has battled against an earthquake and multiple hurricanes destroying three temporary school shelters to ensure the children within the community could have access to consistent, quality education. Prior to the establishment of the Saul Louis Community School, the children living in the mountainside community had to travel almost two hours down the mountain, braving rough terrain and the dangers of city life on their own, to attend school. Due to these arduous conditions, the Peasant Association leadership established the Saul Louis Community School on the mountain to mitigate travel time and ensure the safety of the children.

The 2010 earthquake destroyed the makeshift school. Through the mountainside community’s partnership with C2C, the community constructed a temporary shelter to house the school to ensure the children could continue their education. The temporary school shelter consisted of wooden poles and tarps, to provide shade and protection from the sun and other natural elements. As hurricane season occurs yearly from June to November, and with the strong gale force winds of four hurricanes in particular, the three temporary school shelters constructed, were repeatedly destroyed. With the inconsistency of attaining large amounts of funding for the community to construct a permanent school building, there have been many ups and downs in providing consistent and quality education to the children. However, C2C and the Peasant Association remained determined and steadfast toward the end goal of a permanent school building.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, work on C2C’s project initiatives paused, but our first-time donors and C2C Neighbors’ (monthly donors) support did not waver. Thanks to their continuous financial support, we were able to raise the funds needed for our Mountainside Partner Community to break ground on building the multifunctional permanent school building in December 2021. During the first six months of 2022, the community constructed the building, see pics below, that currently operates as the Saul Louis Community School during the day, a vocational school at night, a church on Sundays, and will act as a shelter during hurricanes and other emergencies!

This permanent building was a long time coming and has brought much joy to the community, as they now have a permanent and safe place to come together. The structure is designed to be earthquake and hurricane resistant. Although this is a huge feat, there is still more work to be done! We now need to equip this building with the proper school equipment (i.e. desks, chairs, whiteboards, and other school supplies) to allow these children to truly thrive during their educational pursuits. To date, the Saul Louis Community School has educated over 3286 children who will be future doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, midwives, musicians, chefs, agronomists, and nurses within this thriving mountainside community.