How many students and schools does the Mission-Haiti sponsorship program affect?
Mission-Haiti partners with 9 schools in the mountain that are fully funded and operated by Mission-Haiti, including:
- Lines Elementary and High School
- Bethanie Elementary School
- Jabouin Elementary and High School
- Toussaint Elementary and High School
- Frederique Elementary School
- Du Coin Elementary and High School
- Madame Pierre Elementary School
- EMHAG Elementary School
- Jean Alexis Kuislin Christian Academy
In all of these schools, every child is part of the sponsorship program. They make up about half the students in the program.
In addition to these 9 schools, Mission-Haiti supports about 12 other schools. Mission-Haiti provides sponsorship opportunities students between preschool and 13th grade and will follow students through a University or vocational school program.
Altogether, the Mission-Haiti school sponsorship program funds more than 2,600 students.
What does my sponsorship money go toward?
What school the student goes to will determine how the money is used within the program. If the child you sponsor goes to one of the 9 Mission-Haiti schools, the entire amount is used at that school to pay teachers and provide necessary school materials. We also give these students a daily meal provided by a humanitarian-aid organization, such as Kids Against Hunger or Orphan Grain Train.
Tuition- For students enrolled in one of the private schools, part of your sponsorship money pays tuition for that student.
Uniforms and a Meal - Students who go to government-funded schools that don’t require as much tuition, Mission-Haiti works to provide these students with uniforms and a daily meal.
School Supplies - Mission-Haiti strives to supply every student in the program with a backpack, essential school materials, and pair of shoes every year. As you can imagine, with 2,600+ students, this is a huge undertaking. But it’s a necessity for many of these students.
Textbooks - We also try to provide students with as many required textbooks as possible. In Haiti, you are required to purchase all of your own books. Many students may not be able to afford them, yet still attend classes. However, they will not be able to participate in lessons due to a lack of materials. Mission-Haiti is always working on purchasing and lending out enough books. Our goal is to provide each student in the sponsorship program with at least 5 of the required books for the class. However, we are still obtaining the resources necessary to reach this goal.
Health Care - With your sponsorship, your student is able to be seen free of charge at the Lanmou San Fin Medical Clinic.
In addition, your sponsorship may go toward shipping and processing, and sometimes obtaining additional backpacks and shoes for our annual distribution. A small portion also helps with administrative costs.
What do students have to do in order to keep their sponsorship?
All students in the program are expected to attend school regularly. It is important that the students take an ownership in this manner and take initiative in their education. We require that they remain in good standing with their grades, conduct, and attendance.
How do you find students who need sponsors?
We work with the directors of the schools to find students.
In the event that a student abandons school, we’ll talk with the school director to determine who is in the most need at that school. To be considered, students must also demonstrate a desire to grow in their education.
Why would a student abandon school?
Unfortunately, with a program as big as ours, students abandoning school is an unavoidable reality. A student may abandon school for many reasons. Some common reasons we hear are:
- to move to a school outside our program (oftentimes to Port-au-Prince)
- leaving school to tend the garden and sell at market
- disregard for education
The latter two are more common in the mountainous areas we work with, where the poverty is greater.
If a student abandons school, it’s Mission-Haiti policy that he or she will not be let back into the program. Exceptions are made in certain circumstances, such as loss of a parent or other hardship.
If the student you sponsor abandons school, the school’s director will inform us. Then, we will contact you directly and relay what we know about the situation. We have many students awaiting sponsorship, and will suggest that you take on another in place of your first student. We appreciate your gracious understanding in times like these.
Is there an option for me to send gifts or letters to my student?
What makes Mission-Haiti’s sponsorship program so special is the personal contact you can have with your student. In addition to receiving an updated photo of your sponsor student every year, you can also send letters to your student. Students love to learn about what your life is like, your family, your pets, etc. We encourage you to send photos of your life! We only ask that you please not make promises of any kind. Letters can be sent to PO Box 2175, Sioux Falls, SD 57101, and be labeled with your students name and ID.
Due to lack of storage space in the US and in Haiti, we discourage sending packaged gifts. If you find yourself on one of Mission-Haiti’s short-term missions trips, or know someone that will be traveling, you are more than welcome to bring any items then! We will make every attempt for you to meet your sponsor student.
In lieu of mailing gifts, we have gift options available for purchase to be delivered in Haiti. We hope that by moving towards these gifts options, we can do a better job stimulating the Haitian economy. We encourage you to purchase gifts at the time of re-sponsorship for ease of purchase and delivery on our end. If you are purchasing outside of that time, please go to the "donate" tab, select the appropriate amount, click "other" and please list your students ID and which gift you have chosen. From there, we will purchase this item in Haiti and deliver it to your student. We will do what we can to get a photo of your student with their gift so that you can be a part of it!
~Rice and Beans (1month supply, $80)
~Goat ($80)
~Bible ($15)
~Water Bottle ($30)
~Solar Lantern ($50)
~Solar Kit ($600)
For any questions regarding gifts, letters, or anything regarding sponsorship please contact breanna@mission-haiti.org.
What is new regarding the sponsorship program?
We are continually improving the sponsorship program, including academic growth and accountability for the students along with better sponsor-student correspondence. This includes providing accurate grade information.
In addition, we have implemented a policy that will not allow students to fail the same grade two years in a row. Doing so will now result in loss of sponsorship (with some exceptions). We hope to correspond with sponsors, letting them know the pass or fail status of their student for the year prior.
The sponsorship program is a huge part of what we do at Mission-Haiti, and is our largest ministry to this area of Haiti. We are trying to improve in every way we can to make this the most effective and God-glorifying program we can. We hope you know that your sponsorship does make a difference in these students’ lives. You’re offering them opportunities that may not otherwise exist without your support. On behalf of Mission-Haiti and the students in the program, we thank you for your participation. It really is life changing.
Who do I contact with questions regarding sponsorship?
For any questions regarding sponsorship- gifts, letters, payments, student info, or anything else sponsorship related please contact breanna@mission-haiti.org.