It has been four months since the official start of the school year, but like many Haitian schools, the Charles Salomon Primary School has not been able to fully open. The Ministry of Education delayed the start of the school year this fall due to economic and safety concerns, and at this time, 47% of schools in Haiti are still closed.
Since the start of the school year, the country has experienced fuel shortages, food insecurity, violent protests, and cholera. All of these have had a direct impact on Haitian schoolchildren. In December, Unicef reported that “three in five schools assessed have been attacked or pillaged, leaving half a million children aged 5-19 years at risk of losing learning opportunities.”
Jean Herard Charles, head of the Charles Salomon School, has been monitoring the situation closely and has convened regular meetings with parents to get their input. During the most recent meeting in late November, parents expressed anxiety due to a school in a nearby town having recently been burned down by vandals and due to their continued struggles to find affordable food.
Access to affordable food continues to be an issue throughout Haiti. Charles reports that in Port-de-Paix, a small bag of rice that would typically cost $13 USD now costs $49. Healing Art Missions continues to financially support the school community, including paying the salaries of the teachers and staff, during these difficult times.
At the parents’ request, the school has been open for grades 6 and 9 only since November, to ensure these grades are prepared for upcoming tests. However, now that there is access to fuel and fewer demonstrations in the country, the school will open fully on January 9 for all grades once again. We look forward to sharing photos of the start of school with you in the February newsletter!