Education is highly valued in Haiti and it is at the foundation of all Sionfonds projects. Education makes a future in which opportunity and choices are possible, choices that many adult Haitians, do not have because they are illiterate. According to the CIA World Fact Book 48% of Haitians age 15 and over are illiterate. In rural areas we serve illiteracy rates are estimated to be 75%.
- 50% of all children in Haiti do not ever go to school
- Going to school is a privilege, not a right for Haitian children
- Even Public Schools are not free
- Most families cannot afford to send their children to school
The lack of access to education and opportunity create many issues that tear families apart.
- Parents leave the family to go to the city to find work
- Children are given up as Resteveks in exchange for the hope they will receive an education
- Hopelessness
- Hunger
- Poverty
Sionfonds works at the root causes of these issues not only through education but also by providing lunch and medical and dental care for our students, in addition our agricultural and educational programs for adults help the entire family.
We have a variety of educational programs to best meet the needs of the communities we serve. In Cavaillon, Masson and Kenscoff we fund the schools, in Belle Anse we pay the tuitions of 300 students at local schools.