LCS' First Virtual Lecture

Catholic University Professor Teaches First Virtual Course at LCS

“What I just learned is that the education you are receiving is above a lot of the American kids’ education. Because when you’re coming out of this school… don’t let anybody tell you that you have any less of an education than anybody in the Western World…”

– Catholic University Professor Andreas Widmer speaking to Louverturians earlier this month

One of the highlights of 2025 was having professor Andreas Widmer give a two-day virtual lecture series to Louverture Cleary School’s Philo (U.S. 12th grade +1) class earlier this month.

Professor Widmer teachers at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business where he also serves as the director of the Art & Carlyse Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship.

Over the course of two evening lectures, he engaged with Haiti’s future servant-leaders on the intersection between Catholic Social Teaching on the Human Person, work and capitalism.

The students were eager to learn all they could during the lectures, and they engaged in energetic, thoughtful discussion. We are grateful to Professor Widmer for providing this opportunity and paving the way for a virtual lecture program we hope to expand in the new year. Stay tuned!

There is a little less than a week left in the year, and we need your help! If you haven’t given yet this year, please do. And if you’re able to give again, or give more, that would be a huge help. We are still looking for roughly $100,000 in additional support to meet our program;s needs for the year. Please give today!

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“Keep In Touch” to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

Go to Community Updates Page

Donate your DAF

Have you heard of a Donor Advised Fund (DAF?) Do you have one yourself? Haitian Project News recently ran a great article on the subject, comparing the return of money in these funds to the return on an investement in a Louverturian. 

You can read an excerpt from that article below. (Spoiler alert: Louverturians win--by a lot.)

Finally, please don't forget to make your year-end gift to THP. We are still looking for  $100,000 in additional support to meet our program's needs for the year, so if you happen to be in a position to give more, or give again, we will put it to excellent use! 

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Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are becoming increasingly popular as a financial tool to help donors maximize the tax benefits of their charitable giving. Financial Advisors, investment companies, and tax accountants all promote these to clients as a convenient and tax-efficient way to manage their philanthropy year after year.

Why? An individual can make a contribution to their account, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants to nonprofits at a time of their choosing, even years after they received the tax benefits from their gifts. The funds are invested in professionally managed portfolios, which are typically invested much like an endowment or retirement account, and can continue to grow tax-free over time.

Yet DAFs may underperform compared to the option of moving funds to the real purpose of charitable giving: making a difference in the lives of people. Giving faster can actually bring better returns.

Let's compare the social return of the funds required to put a student through Louverture Cleary School (LCS) and 4 years of university in Haiti, measured simply by the wealth created through their average salary, to the wealth created by letting those same funds appreciate in a DAF at 7% annual returns.

Funding a year of LCS education for a student is $2,400. A full 7 years at LCS, plus 4 more years of college scholarship at approximately $2,000 per year, means the total cost to support a student through LCS and university is $24,800.

Having come from families struggling to get by on less than $1,000 a year, the average earnings of a Louverturian with a college degree are historically nearly $15,000 a year. Twenty years after that initial investment in a Louverturian of $24,800, their cumulative earnings would be $134,000. In comparison, the funds that remained in the DAF would have generated just $67,000 over the same 20-year period.

This is, of course, the most conservative measure of the social benefit of supporting a student. There are benefits to a Louverturian’s family and their community throughout their entire time at LCS, and the impact they will have on others once they begin their professional careers is significant.

Read the whole article in December's issue of Haitian Project News.

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“Keep In Touch” to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

Go to Community Updates Page

Empowering Young Women and Men at LCS

Did you know that female students make up 190 of the 365 students attending Louverture Cleary School this year? In fact, female students have historically outnumbered boys at one of Haiti's top schools.

We ran the update below this spring, but we like it so much that we're sharing it again below. And as a bonus, we're including a short video of a few female Louverturians discussing the importance of educating women and girls.

(And please don't forget: None of this happens without your support. We are still looking for $100,000 to meet our program's needs for the year. Your gift today would be a wonderful help!)

Empowering Young Women and Men at LCS 

For over 25 years, the LCS Celebrate Women program has provided seminars and retreats for the empowerment of female students. Positive themes, songs, talks, and activities help girls in Twazyèm and Segond (10th and 11th grade) develop self-confidence, build teamwork, and grow as leaders. 

Aimed to assist Haiti’s future female leaders develop the personal skills needed to achieve their career goals and make a difference in their country, the theme of this year's Celebrate Women event was "Accept who you are, and revel in it," which was paired with the affirmation "I am beautiful, empowered, smart, talented ... and no one can take that from me." 

Also held recently was a parallel program at LCS called Man Up, which helps to ensure that male students view their female counterparts as capable individuals and equals. The program encourages participants to become the kind of men they are called to be, valuing personal growth, questioning harmful stereotypes, and building healthy relationships based on equality and mutual respect.

The theme of this year’s Man Up event was "Empower your brand" and was paired with the slogan "My image, my responsibility," inviting boys to take ownership of the image they present to the world. The program encouraged them to take concrete steps toward becoming responsible, empathetic, and respectful young men who understand their role in building an inclusive society.

The Celebrate Women and Man Up programs are integral parts of the top-notch education and formation at LCS, empowering young women and men to be the best versions of themselves as they prepare to create a more fair, just, and equal society.

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“Keep In Touch” to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

Go to Community Updates Page

Happy Thanksgiving from The Haitian Project!

This Thanksgiving, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for you. In a year filled with challenges and uncertainty, your support, kindness, and unwavering belief in our mission have carried us forward. Today, we simply want to wish you and your loved ones a joyful and peaceful Thanksgiving filled with warmth, connection, and blessings. Thank you for being part of our THP family, we are truly grateful for you.

From all of us at The Haitian Project,
Happy Thanksgiving!

The “quahurkey” has become one of our favorite THP Thanksgiving traditions, a playful blend of turkey and quahog that reminds us not only of our Rhode Island roots, but also of the spirit behind our mission. Over the years, we’ve asked our community for many kinds of support, and you’ve always responded with a generous “yes.” So this little quahurkey is our way of sharing a smile, celebrating the season, and thanking you for being part of the THP family. If you ever visit us in the Ocean State, we’ll give you the full story behind this quirky Rhode Island classic!

(Thank you to local illustrator and cartoon artist Nico Ecenarro for creating our quahurkey!)

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“Keep In Touch” to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

Go to Community Updates Page

A New School Year, A New Chapter of Hope

October 16, 2025

A New School Year, A New Chapter of Hope

Welcome back, Louverturians!!!

We're filled with joy to share that Louverture Cleary School has officially opened its doors to 368 students for the new academic year in Haiti! Students kicked off the first day of school last Monday, and campus is once again alive with the sounds of laughter, learning and community. 

This milestone is more than just the successful start of another school year; in a country still facing incredible challenges, it's a testament to what hope can do.

As we look ahead, we invite you to keep the hope alive. Every notebook, every lesson, every dream pursued at LCS is possible because of you. Your generosity fuels opportunity, transforms lives, and strengthens communities. Together, we are not just educating students, we are shaping leaders who will rebuild Haiti within.

Thank you for believing in our mission, walking beside us, and sharing in this journey of faith and transformation.

As LCS Campus Minister Lyncée C. encouraged students, "May you carry high the Louverturian values, the pursuit of excellence, and the love of hard work, and may these moments push us to give the very best of ourselves."

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“Keep In Touch” to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

Pope Calls for August 22nd to Be Day of Prayer for Peace

Pope Leo XIV has called for August 22nd, the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to be a day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world. In Pope Leo's words, "May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path of peace."

We ask that today you remember Haiti with a prayer to the Patroness of Haiti under another one of her many titles, Our Lady of Perpetual Help:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me.
Amen!

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“Keep In Touch” to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

Go to Community Updates Page

You are invited…

The Haitian Project often notes that a mission is only as strong as the community that sends it.

Thanks to the Diocese of Providence's Office for the Propagation of the Faith and St. Andrew Church on Block Island, RI, the Project will have the opportunity on September 13th and 14th to share its authentic Catholic mission work through the diocese’s Mission Cooperative Program.

The Mission Cooperative Program is an annual initiative, both locally and globally, when missionaries visit parishes to increase mission awareness and bear witness to, and raise support for, their work. Please join us!

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Kan D’ete: Summer Camp at LCS!

While summer at Louverture Cleary School means a break from normal school operations such as classes, the mission of LCS to form Haiti’s future leaders never truly rests.

This summer, while most LCS students are at home for vacation, the school’s Outreach Department held Kan D’ete (summer camp) for children enrolled in the Koukouy Sen Klè (Fireflies of St. Clare) early childhood development program and other children from the school's neighborhood.

Amid the continued unrest in the Port-au-Prince area, LCS Assistant Director of Outreach Naphtary S. (LCS '18) and the staff of the Koukouy program led the day camp, a welcome resource to parents who could be sure their children were safe and engaged. 

The program offered a vibrant learning environment; 120 children enjoyed music and dance, art classes, sports, and board and card games. Participants also learned bible stories and received a hot meal. Additionally, 11 LCS students and nine young adults from the Outreach Program were engaged as leaders and instructors.

Kan D’ete has been a staple of the LCS Outreach Program for years. Said Naphtary, "The Summer camp is really important because it keeps the children connected to learning while having fun. The camp is vital because they can have a meal every day. It also provides an opportunity for the children to build confidence, creativity, and friendships in a safe and peaceful environment."

Children, especially teenagers, who are engaged in camp are not in the streets and therefore away from the gang violence and the dangerous, prevalent eye of those looking to recruit into the gangs. Families can stay together, as LCS provides a place for the children during the day while parents work, and the discipline, structure, and formation instills Louverturian values of stewardship, work, and community in even the youngest of participants.

Just like the Koukouy Program itself, Kan D’ete is much more than fun and educational for local children — it is a solution to societal issues and a catalyst for change. 

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“Keep In Touch” to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

Go to Community Updates Page

The July Graduation Issue of Haitian Project News Is Here!

The Haitian Project and Louverture Cleary School celebrated the school’s 30th graduation on Saturday, June 21st!

The July issue of Haitian Project News celebrates these new Louverture Cleary alumni and features photos and quotes of their hopes and plans for a brighter future for Haiti.

Read all about the incredible young men and women of the LCS Class of 2025 in the July issue of Haitian Project News! 

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“Keep In Touch” to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

Go to Community Updates Page

You Can Be Proud of Your Support for The Haitian Project

The Haitian Project has been recognized with top ratings from two well-known charity assessment organizations.

Because of The Haitian Project's focus on communicating actual results and impact, Candid (formerly GuideStar) has awarded us their 2025 Platinum Seal of Transparency. Candid is well known for their comprehensive data tools on nonprofits, foundations, and grants.

In addition, THP received four stars — the highest rating — from Charity Navigator, the largest and most widely-used independent charity evaluation organization in the U.S.

These platforms are widely recognized and often used to verify a nonprofit's legitimacy and effectiveness, and we are delighted to be granted these distinctions. 

You can be proud of your support for The Haitian Project. Thank you for helping to build a brighter future for Haiti.

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“Keep In Touch” to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

Go to Community Updates Page