St. Anne’s school in Saintard currently enrolls about 450 students in preschool through Grade 13. Many children walk to school. Their maroon and white uniforms were donated by a school in Tennessee. The community dreams of adding a trade school someday. The school lunch program was recently suspended because the funding agency determined there were more needy schools. This means many children at St. Anne’s have nothing to eat all day unless Educate Haiti or other groups provide assistance.
Textbooks are a luxury. Three to five students share each book. Lessons are copied into notebooks. Each day teachers “check out” a piece of chalk and return the unused portion at the end of the day. The classroom walls are bare and the window openings are uncovered. Despite the hardships, St Anne’s has emerged as one of the better quality schools in this region of Haiti based on the government’s standardized tests. Teachers often go for several months without their $125 monthly paycheck.
Fr. Anis at St. Anne’s School in Saintard
The tuition and textbooks for 30 children are provided by donors to Educate Haiti. Benefactors from several states (including Connecticut, Florida, and Indiana) have also provided funds and some labor to construct and extend this school. Students from Indiana University, in collaboration with Play360, built a playground. Modern restrooms and a cistern-rainwater system have been built to replace the pit toilets formerly used by students and faculty. A newly-built library and computer lab awaits books and computers.
