2nd Quarter 2023 Newsletter

By Endurance We Conquer

Thank you for taking the time to read our updates from Haiti. We continue to face many challenging circumstances in Haiti but God is safeguarding us and carrying us through. As gang activity continues to persist around the country, we have always been blessed to say that God has insulated us where we are. While we have not seen outside gangs infiltrate Montouis or St Marc, there unfortunately has  been a lot of infighting and civil unrest in Montrouis. We are seeing recently a rise in violence between two different groups who are fighting over land. This has caused many people in Montrouis to have to leave their homes and stay with family who live away from the turmoil. There are some days in Montrouis where it is unsafe to operate and on those days we’ve had to temporarily close our schools there. The community leaders are working on a peace agreement and there has been a lull in the violence for the last couple of weeks. We ask that you please keep our students and staff in your prayers. Please pray for God to protect them and their families and to bring a swift end to the fighting. 

Even through these hardships we continue to persevere and make progress. You will see some of our updates below. We are so proud of our team in Haiti and the work they put in everyday, no matter the circumstances. Here are a few of our accomplishments so far this year.

  • We are completing another school year by mid July. This is our 18th school year operating in Haiti.
  • We are completing our first full year with new curriculum including art, music and computer training.
  • We have served over 180,000 meals this calendar year.
  • We finished the exterior paint of our Phillip and Wisconsin School buildings and it looks impressive.
  • We finished laying the tile and building the countertops for the new bathroom building at the Phillip and Wisconsin School. We are in the final phase of construction for this building.
  • We held two successful galas in the US, one in Tampa on April 22 and another in Madison, WI on April 29.
  • We successfully raised funds to support the addition of our 11th school.
  • We successfully raised funds to support our new trade school for the first year.

One of my favorite quotes lately comes from the family motto of explorer Earnest Shackleton. The motto in Latin is “fortitudine vincimus” which means “By endurance we conquer.” I believe God has given us supernatural strength to endure the hardships of operating a ministry in Haiti. The Apostle Paul wrote about this consistently in his letters. In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 he says, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” As we endure the challenges ahead, we know we are working for an eternal reward as we focus on making life a little better for the children in Haiti.

Schools for Haiti would like to thank everyone for your service and giving hearts towards our ministry in Haiti. Your support for our mission in Haiti is essential to help us reach those who are most in need. It is only through Christ-centered education that we will be able to prop up the next generation to create sustainable change for the future of Haiti. We are committed to training our students to think and act with a renewed mind and a biblical worldview.

If God has put it on your heart to give to our ministry, please check out the ways you can give at the end of the newsletter. You can also click on the image above and you will be directed to our support page. We thank you for supporting our mission.

SFH Dream Builders Gala

The 14th Annual Tampa Dream Builders Gala was held on Saturday April 22, 2023. We would like to thank everyone who helped contribute to the success of this wonderful night. We had a great time celebrating the amazing work God has done in our schools and the communities we serve in Haiti. We are excited about the vision God has given us for the future in Haiti and grateful for all of you who God has chosen to come along side of us and fulfill this vision. Here is a list of some of the projects we were able to fund for the upcoming year:

  • Funding for the first year of the new Dream Builders school in St. Marc. This school is Pre-k through 13th grade. We are forecasting 400 students to enroll for the upcoming school year.
  • Funding for the first year of our new trade school. We will launch our first classes in October 2023.
  • 1,000 Bibles for our students written in the Haitian Creole language.
  • Funding to build up our music program in five of our schools.
  • New supporters for 41 of our students and four teachers.

We would like to thank all of the sponsors, attendees, donors and volunteers who gave their time, talent and treasure to meet the needs in Haiti. You all are the key to our success and together we will unlock new doors for the future of the children in Haiti.

 

SFH Gala Madison, WI


The 9th Annual Schools for Haiti Wisconsin Gala was held in Madison, Wisconsin on April 29, 2023. This was another amazing evening where we were able to celebrate and raise funds to support the Wisconsin School in Lanzac, Haiti. Thank you to all of the volunteers, sponsors, donors and attendees who made this such a special night. A special thank you to Doug and Lois Fearing and Bill and Bev Mansfield for all of your hard work to put together this event. You all are making a difference in the lives of these children and giving them a truly special place to go to school.

 

School Spotlight

Wisconsin School and Phillip Christian Academy




We are going to keep our school spotlight on the Phillip Christian Academy and The Wisconsin High School. Our team in Haiti has been hard at work to see this project to completion. We finally received the paint from the US. We were blown away by how much of a difference paint made to the overall appearance of the building. For those of you who have been to Haiti, you know how much this building stands out amongst the rest. We also wanted to share the update about the bathrooms. The smaller building immediately to the right of the school and shot up close in the second picture is the new bathroom building. The building is split into male and female bathrooms. Each room has four flushable toilets and two sinks with running water. This is a huge blessing that provides privacy and dignity for all of our students and staff. As you can see in the last picture, the students feel happy, honored and blessed to attend such an exceptional school. “Gloire soit à Dieu” means “Glory be to God” in French.

Student Testimony

Bethsaida Docent

6th Grade – Lacey Lee Academy

Hello, my name is Bethsaida Dorcent. I am 12 years old and in the 6th grade. I live with my Mom and Dad in the village of Jeanton in the area of St-Marc. I have two sisters and we all live happily.

I started at Lacey School last year when I was in 5th grade. I used to go to a Catholic school in St- Marc. I am so glad that I am in Lacey School. I think it is the best school ever. I love everything about the school. I made a lot of new friends and they are also from my village. I thank God that I have the opportunity to go to school every day, while in other areas there are children that can not attend school. I pray to God for peace in my country, so children like me can get an education without being disrupted by the gangs.

My dream is to become somebody important in my community and also in my country. I want to be part of the generation that brings solutions to my country. That is why I will continue to study hard and persist in my goal.

My favorite subject is Math but I also want to become a nurse. There are so many sick people who die because of a lack of health assistance. Like I said before, I want to be part of the solution for my country. I believe the Lacey School can help me get the education that I need to archive my goal.

Thank you Schools for Haiti for supporting Lacey School so I can get the right education.

God Bless you,

Bethsaida Dorcent

Schools for Haiti would like to thank you for the role you play in making each one our students feel blessed and loved. Please consider what role God has for you this year and what investment you can make in the lives of the Haitian children. We need YOU to help us continue providing a Christ-centered education to our students and expand our reach to other children in Haiti who may not have access to education.

 

Please click the ‘Give Now’ button which will take you to our giving page.

GIVE NOW

If you prefer to give by check, you can mail your donation to:

Schools for Haiti
C/O Gil Bailie
PO Box 273848
Tampa, FL 33688

Please know that you are all in our prayers. We pray that you will continue to see God at work in a mighty way during this time. God bless you and your families.

Blessings to all,

Schools for Haiti Team