Looking for a Gift that Really Matters?

Louverture Cleary School continues to provide a top-notch education to Haiti’s future servant-leaders.

Looking for a thoughtful gift for a teacher, friend, family member, or just about anyone else this holiday season?

Give the Gift of Education, it is the gift that never stops giving!

Make a donation in any amount to The Haitian Project in honor of a friend or family member this holiday season, and The Haitian Project will send a Christmas card notifying your loved one of the gift given in their honor!

Simply submit the form, either online or on paper to sign up.

Your gift allows The Haitian Project to continue to feed, house and educate 360 students—Haiti’s future servant-leaders—each year.

In order for your family and friends to receive a card notifying them of your gift by Christmas Eve, The Haitian Project needs to receive your donation by Monday morning, December 21st. Thank you!

Louverturian's Success Highlights LCS's Excellence

Lyncée C. (LCS ’20) at the Centre Muse Haiti award ceremony

Louverture Cleary School students and graduates are known as Louverturians because they embody the values of the school community: placing others before themselves, working hard, and committing to building a brighter future for their country.

Among the many stories of Louverturians impacting their communities and country is the recent success of Lyncée C. (LCS ’20). After the COVID-19 pandemic brought her final year at LCS to a halt in March, Lyncée and her peers had to return home to quarantine and continue their studies in alternate ways.

While looking for ways to stay engaged and active during this challenging time, Lyncée discovered that a Haitian cultural institution, the Centre Muse Haiti, was holding a national essay competition about the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to one of five possible prompts, Lyncée wrote an essay addressing the mistrust and skepticism many Haitians feel toward their government and whether this mistrust permits citizens to disregard the government’s pandemic response policies. She reflected on how the people of Haiti may distrust the state because of corruption, lack of transparency, and a lack of support for even the basic needs of the population living in poverty.

In spite of these challenges, true to her Louverturian formation, her essay remained focused on the path forward, concluding that the seriousness of the virus and the importance of the protocols implemented should rise above negative feelings toward the Haitian government. This, she argued, was imperative to protect the health and well-being of Haitians and to not create another tragedy for an already suffering people. 

After LCS Principal Marjorie M. (LCS ’07) was informed last month that Lyncée had placed in the top ten entries in the country, she and Lyncée attended a socially-distanced award ceremony to learn that Lyncée had placed third overall in the national contest!

Principal M. reflects:

I am proud of Lyncée. She decided on her own to participate in the competition and was awarded third place. Once again, LCS is top in the country, proof that our students receive a great education. It elevates the reputation of the school and reminds everyone that LCS aims for excellence.

Congratulations to Lyncée on her success and congratulations to Louverture Cleary School for once again being among the top schools in Haiti!

We also want to congratulate YOU, our supporters, for continuing to be the help we have to give! If you are able to do so, we hope you will support our work at this time. Thank you!

The September Issue of Haitian Project News is Here!

Facilities Manager Odson F. in the computer lab of the Radia Laboratory of Science and Technology.

We're excited to announce the September issue of 
Haitian Project News!

Louverture Cleary School's newly-finished Radia Laboratory of Science and Technology is complete and stands ready for the students’ return as soon as LCS is able to re-open for the new school year!

What's else is new in this issue? Read about:

• With Careful Planning and Continued Success, Louverture Cleary School is preparing for the eventual start of the 2020-2021 school year! While many schools in Haiti are making up classes now to complete the last school year, LCS is preparing to move forward despite a year of challenges, having already satisfied the 2019-2020 school year requirements and distributed diplomas to LCS’s 25th graduating class.

• We’re celebrating another LCS National Laureate! Rising LCS Sekond (US 11th grade) student Marquez Michel placed first in the entire nation on the 2019 Katryem (US 9th grade) state exam! 

• LCS alumni Jhonny F., M.D.'s (LCS '00) career has seen him stepping forward as a leading medical professional during the 2010 cholera epidemic. Then in 2013, Jhonny started a specialization in obstetrics/gynecology, eventually returning to Port-au-Prince in 2019 to open a private OB/GYN clinic while beginning a master's degree in public health.

• And all of latest THP happenings and feature stories in the September issue of Haitian Project News!

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Celebrating Another LCS National Laureate!

Louverture Cleary School recently learned that rising LCS Sekond (US 11th grade) student Marquez M. placed first in the entire nation on the 2019 Katryem (US 9th grade) state exam! This exam is required to pass from the fundamental to the secondary level of the Haitian school curriculum. 

Rising LCS Sekond (US 11th grade) student Marquez M.

Because of the disruptions to the 2019-2020 school year in Haiti, a result of the civil unrest last fall and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic, these exam results were not officially announced through the usual public ceremony. 

Nevertheless, we are taking this moment to celebrate Marquez's achievement and LCS’s place among the top schools in Haiti.

We also continue to celebrate YOU, our supporters, without whom there could be no LCS. If you are able to do so, we hope you will support our work at this time. Thank you for being the help we have to give!

LCS Grad Innovates His Way Through the Pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached Haiti in March 2020, students were among many across Haiti who found themselves unable to continue their everyday routines.

Romain M. (LCS '19) works on the prototype of an eco-friendly stove.

Like so many Louverture Cleary School graduates, Romain M. (LCS '19) found himself unable to continue studying economics at the state university. And, like a true Louverturian, Romain chose to use this uncertain, newly-imposed free time to better his community.

Before the pandemic, Romain had begun a project to build an eco-friendly stove which produces heat generated by the weight of the cooking pot placed on top of it. "There is a public market in my neighborhood where charcoal is sold,” reflects Romain on the origin of his idea, “and it’s heartbreaking to think of how many trees are destroyed every year all over the country. As a kid, I would think of ways to end this. Today I want to create something that can help reduce it."

Having gotten the idea after a friend introduced him to a global organization working in Haiti called Clean Cooking Alliance, Romain has spent time during the pandemic working to develop a prototype of the stove.

Like Romain, many LCS Alumni have been inspired by the school's stewardship of resources and the environment, including its robust waste management program, and have taken those lessons and practices to their home communities.

"LCS has influenced me in many ways. One of them is caring for my environment,” says Romain. “Also, LCS has taught me that no matter how big the issue is, I can do something about it. This why I developed this project and I am looking for the means to realize it."

Along with developing his invention, Romain would like to eventually return to university to finish his economics degree, then hopes to pursue a degree in engineering. We wish him the best of luck with the eco-friendly stove, and we look forward to updating you on his project in the future!

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A Note from The Haitian Project

We understand that these are challenging times and that many people are confronted with significant hardships.

But this is precisely why we still have to ask and pray that those who can give, will. Our teachers and staff in Haiti rely on our support; and we are going to be there for our 360 students when schools re-open again. Please give today if you can.

A Love of Medicine, a Life of Service

This past June, we celebrated the Louverture Cleary School (LCS) Class of 2020 and the servant-leaders they will become. They will not be short on role models as they join a long line of LCS graduates. One such alum is Jhonny F., M.D.

Jhonny Fequiere, M.D. (LCS '00)

After graduating from LCS in June 2000, Dr. Jhonny F. earned a highly-coveted spot at the Medical School of the State University of Haiti.

“It was not easy,” Jhonny recalls. “Medical school [in Haiti], like everywhere in the world, is tough. To succeed, you have to study day and night, and be smart, dedicated, and diligent.”

After six years of study, his mandatory year of social service brought him to Artibonite where he remained for several years. During this time, he stepped forward as a leading medical professional during the 2010 cholera epidemic (Haiti's Cholera Death Toll Mounts, BBC, 10/23/10;  Press in the Time of Cholera, Catholic News Agency, 10/27/10). Then in 2013, Jhonny started a specialization in obstetrics/gynecology, eventually returning to Port-au-Prince in 2019 to open a private OB/GYN clinic while beginning a master's degree in public health.

Jhonny's desire to pursue a career in medicine began at LCS when he and other students would translate for and assist visiting medical teams (Louverturians are fluent in four languages—Kreyòl, French, English and Spanish) as part of LCS's community service programs. “I was involved in all activities with those teams…This is where I started falling in love with medicine…This taught me that being a doctor would be a good choice for me to continue helping those in need.”

Jhonny, like his fellow doctors in Haiti, has had a difficult time since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Haiti. 

Dr. Johnny F. attributes Louverture Cleary School with his interest in pursuing a career in medicine.

“It is very difficult to continue taking care of people in different private and public healthcare facilities. The medical staff does not have adequate equipment to protect themselves from getting COVID-19. The Haitian government and medical staff are trying to do the best to contain this pandemic, but it’s still difficult. The Haitian healthcare system has many problems and was not prepared for such a situation.”

Haiti's healthcare system significantly lacks the capacity of other countries in the western hemisphere. Whereas the United States has 25 doctors per 10,000 people, Haiti has 2.5.

“Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the healthcare system receives just a fraction of the national budget," said Jhonny. “Hospitals are under-equipped. Hospital staffs are not well paid. People are not covered by insurance. According to those problems, this healthcare system needs to be changed. To have this result, the Haitian politicians need to sit together in order to have common objectives to get the country out of this situation.”

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A Note from The Haitian Project

We understand that these are challenging times and that many people are confronted with significant hardships.

But this is precisely why we still have to ask and pray that those who can give, will. Our teachers and staff in Haiti rely on our support; and we are going to be there for our 360 students when schools re-open again. Please give today if you can.

Calling Workers to the Harvest… The LCS Missionary Program

Ever felt called to missionary service? Know someone who would be a good fit for our community in Haiti? It may seem like an unusual time to consider a call to service in Haiti... or, it may be the perfect time!

Missionaries teach outside the classroom, too: students learn about plants as they develop the rooftop garden on campus.

For over 25 years, The Haitian Project’s mission and charism have been lived out and exemplified at Louverture Cleary School outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti by its vibrant community of Missionary teachers (formerly known as "Volunteers").

Missionaries of all ages have brought stability in chaotic times, determination in challenging tasks, and joy in everyday living while embracing and leading the greater Louverture Cleary School community.

Life of the Missionary Community includes:

• Living in community with other missionaries and Haitian staff members
  

• Teaching classes, such as English, religion or economics

• Leading extracurriculars such as sports and clubs, giving the chance for students to be enriched both in and out of the classroom

• Participating in the physical development and upkeep of the campus

• Participating in daily community prayer and weekly Mass

Email [email protected] to contact The Haitian Project for more information regarding the Missionary program. You can also find out more about being a Missionary at Louverture Cleary School and how to apply for the program here:

More Information on the LCS Missionary Program Flyer

Application Information

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The June Issue of Haitian Project News is Here!

The June 2020 edition of Haitian Project News is here! CLICK HERE to read about:

• The graduation of the Louverture Cleary School (LCS) Class of 2020 marks LCS's 25th graduation, a milestone to celebrate! Meet the LCS Class of 2020, with photos and featured quotes from graduates.

• Read about our amazing LCS Alumni—Caleb Alcenat, Class of 2008; Myrlande Aubourg, Class of 2010; and Stephane Chery, Class of 2011—who are successfully facing the challenges of COVID-19 in Haiti.

• Special to this issue...

Haiti has been adapting to the new and evolving realities imposed by COVID-19. Read more about how Haiti is being affected by the pandemic in this featured interview with Patrick Brun, Haitian private sector leader and head of THP's partner foundations in Haiti.

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A Note from The Haitian Project

We understand that these are challenging times and that many people are confronted with significant hardships.

But this is precisely why we still have to ask and pray that those who can give, will. Our teachers and staff in Haiti rely on our support; and we are going to be there for our 360 students when schools re-open again. Please give today if you can.

LCS Alumna Models Civic Responsibility

The Haitian Project couldn't be more proud of Louverture Cleary School (LCS) graduates. (If you missed last week’s update, you really should “meet” some of our graduates here: Celebrating the Class of 2020.) 

In keeping with that theme, here is a quick story of how a 2011 LCS grad is raising awareness about the pandemic in rural Haiti in the course of her work. We hope you enjoy it!

Stephane Chery (LCS '11) with fellow employees at Acceso Corporation.

The disruption to Haiti’s economy and food production as a result of COVID-19 is expected to be especially problematic in a country that was in a precarious situation even before the pandemic.

A recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reports that over one third of Haiti’s population currently needs urgent food assistance. 

A drop in remittances from the diaspora in the US only exacerbates the situation.

Stephane C. (LCS ‘11) is well aware of her fellow Haitians’ situation. After graduating from Louverture Cleary School and receiving a university scholarship from its Dulcich Center for Career Advancement (formerly the Office of External Affairs), she decided to pursue her studies in agronomy.

"One of the best ways to reduce poverty and specifically hunger in Haiti is through agriculture," she says. 

Today, Stephane works for Acceso Corporation, improving the quality of peanut production and supply chain management. She continues to go to work regularly despite the COVID-19 outbreak. Her work has brought her in contact with families living in rural areas of Haiti and has given her the chance to raise awareness about the pandemic and preventative measures, an opportunity she welcomes.   

"Otherwise, many of them would not even have heard about the outbreak," says Stephane.

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Did you see this recent alumni article?

Louverturian and Medical Resident Serves on the Front Lines of the COVID-19 Fight

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A Note from The Haitian Project

We understand that these are challenging times and that many people are confronted with significant hardships.

But this is precisely why we still have to ask and pray that those who can give, will. Our teachers and staff in Haiti rely on our support; and we are going to be there for our 360 students when schools re-open again. Please give today if you can.

LCS Distributes 2,400 Masks in Haiti

LCS Director of Community Outreach Daelle E. manages the recent mask distribution to the Santo 5 community.

While schools remain closed in Haiti due to COVID-19, the Department of Community Outreach at Louverture Cleary School (LCS) outside of Port-au-Prince has been providing support wherever possible to help keep our surrounding neighborhood, including the families of the children in the LCS's Koukouy Sen Kle Early Childhood Development Program, as safe and healthy as possible in a situation where social distancing and other safety measures are difficult or impossible to maintain.

Social distancing and other safety measures are very difficult to maintain in Haiti. To help, LCS sourced 2,400 hand-made, reusable cloth face masks from local shops to provide to the school community and the neighborhood around the school.

Families of the children in the Koukouy Program and members of the neighborhood surrounding the school were invited to LCS to receive masks. LCS Director of Community Outreach Daelle E. coordinated the distribution and educated each person on how to properly wear and wash them.

In total, 800 individuals received three face masks each. 

Chair of The Haitian Project's Partner Foundations Patrick B. states, "Distributing masks to the community fits our objectives perfectly. As an institution in Haiti, we have a responsibility to the surrounding community as well as to our students and staff. We are also committed to being the right model for Haiti, so purchasing these masks locally was another important way to support the country.”  

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Celebrating LCS's 25th Graduating Class!

This year marks LCS’s 25th graduation, a milestone to celebrate!  

While graduation ceremonies have been canceled this year due to the pandemic, we are still celebrating the Class of 2020, their accomplishments, and the impact they will have as they join the ranks of LCS alumni. 

Don't miss a special Community Update this Friday featuring the LCS Class of 2020!

Help us celebrate Louverture Cleary School's 25th graduating class by giving $25 in their honor!