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Projects:
PRIMARY SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPSSTATUS: launched January 2005 / ongoing Providing 6,846 scholarships for primary school children in Port-au-Prince, Gonaives, Cap-Haitien, Port-de-Paix and Les Cayes. NEED: In Haiti, 95% of all schools in the country are fee-based – even for the poorest of the poor. At present there are between 500,000 and one million children and youth out of school because their families are unable to pay the fees, and an equal number are under constant threat of dismissal because their parents have trouble making regular payments. On average it costs the equivalent of US$60 in tuition for a child to attend primary school for one year. With the national unemployment rate close to 80 percent and the majority of the population living on less than $1 per day, most families must make tremendous sacrifices to send their children to school. RESPONSE: Yéle Haiti now provides scholarships for 6,846 children, working in partnership with an organization called Fonds de Parrainage Nationale. This group manages the administration of more than 50,000 scholarships a year throughout the country. They research which families are most in need in order to identify the children who will receive scholarships. They vet the schools to ensure that each is properly accredited. They do surprise visits to make sure the children are attending school and progressing. They go beyond paying for scholarships to provide schools with much needed books, notebooks, pencils and even reservoirs to hold clean drinking water. Partners: Sponsor: For more information contact info@yele.org Photo: Local recipients of Voila-sponsored Yéle scholarships gather in Gonaives, Haiti. |
