How much did it cost you to go to school? Was it basically free? Did you know the answer to that question can vary depending on which country you live in? Most of us don’t associate much cost with education until college, and that cost is usually pretty eye-opening to the average family!

In Haiti the start of the school year is a very tense time for families because they know education is what helps break the poverty cycle, but most simply lack the funds to be able to send even one child to school. In third world countries most of the families incomes go toward food, clothing and shelter. It can be a struggle to eat every day, let alone pay hospital bills, pay for a funeral, or pay for school tuition and books for multiple children. For them, school tuition is comparable to our college costs. To add fuel to the fire, in Haiti 80% of the people are currently unemployed.

What is the value of an education in a third world country? It is probably more than we realize. The simple lack of knowledge is a huge component–-although only one of several–-to the extreme poverty we see here. Although in recent years the government has opened some public primary schools which are free, private and parochial schools still provide around 75% of the educational programs available in the majority of the country. And these cost to operate.

Haiti School Enrollment & Retention

• 50 percent of children do not attend school. (World Bank 2013)
• Approximately 30% of children attending primary school will not make it to third grade; 60% will abandon school before sixth grade. (UNICEF 2008)
• Only 29% of Haitians age 25 and above attended secondary school. (USAID 2015) Most of these were sponsored students.

Quality

• Almost 80 percent of teachers have not received any pre-service training. (USAID 2015)
• Half of public sector teachers in Haiti lack basic qualifications. (USAID 2015)
• 90% of primary schools are non-public and managed by communities, religious organizations or NGOs. (USAID 2007)

Literacy

• Haiti’s literacy rate is 61% – 64% for males and 57% for females. (CIA Factbook Nov 2015)

How can you help? Sponsor one of more children by paying monthly for their education. It is a blessing to help send a child to school. It teaches them about love, mercy and generosity. Many kids that receive this blessing have a heart to give back to their country and help others when it their turn. Having a sponsor that cares about them is like sunshine breaking through the clouds on a stormy day. One minute everything is dark and cloudy, the next minute there is light and hope spreading everywhere!

You can get more information about sponsorship, including costs and photos of available children, here: http://www.harvestcall.org/child-sponsorship

Why do we serve with Child Sponsorship? We feel it is a real privilege to serve the Lord and serve His people through our daily interactions with the kids, the parents and the schools in our program. This gives us many opportunities to share the gospel or interject God’s Word into our conversations with all ages. We have been given further opportunity to introduce a Bible class in each grade level of our 125 sponsored schools and the 13 schools where the sponsored kids are located!

We are also thrilled that Trinity will be joining us full time in our ministry this Fall! We are looking forward to her contributions as she has a real gift to connect with kids in ways we can’t.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:11