Bright, eager eyes filled with anticipation. Tender, impressionable minds easily molded. Lives ready to be lived to the fullest. This is what Haitian parents see when they look at their school-aged children. They long to equip their children to face the world’s challenges and give them the ability to read and write. But poverty intrudes.
School tuition is costly for Haitian families who live on less than $2 a day. Just trying to provide daily food is difficult enough. Thus many children, especially girls, stay home to help take care of siblings and collect water. Others, although young, work to help support their family.
One in four Haitian children does not have the opportunity to attend school. Without an education, these children will never be able to write a note or read the Bible. Illiteracy will also affect their futures, hindering them from getting sustainable jobs.
For more than 8,000 children, CAM’s Haiti-Sponsor-A-Child School Program offers an avenue of hope. Through the generous support of sponsors, some of Haiti’s neediest youngsters have the opportunity to get an education. The students enrolled in CAM-sponsored schools realize this is a rare privilege and are usually anxious to put their hearts into learning.
While many schools in Haiti are underfunded and lack basic supplies, CAM-supported schools are stocked with necessary school supplies such as textbooks, pencils, and notebooks. When the students receive their supplies at the beginning of the year, big smiles light up their faces and they thank us profusely.
Perhaps the most anticipated bonus of the Haiti school program is the mid-morning meal the students receive. Since breakfast is not an option for many of the students, every bite of the warm rice and beans is savored. For many, this is the only real meal they will eat that day.
With food to eat, a ready heart to learn, and Christian teachers to influence them, the students on CAM’s school program have the potential for bright futures. Thank you, supporters, for giving these tender hearts the opportunity to learn not only the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also the ways of God. Your support influences the future of Haiti.
