At What Price Peace?
At What Price Peace?
By Becky Gillette
One of the many countries where the Star of Hope makes a difference is Haiti.?Found on the western half of the island of Hispaniola, located southeast of Florida, just east of Cuba, Haiti has a colorful history of feast and famine.?Unfortunately, at this point, Haiti is mostly in famine.?With the breakdown of the government in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, various rival gangs are now ruling the city, the communications, and the roads leading from the city into the surrounding countryside.
Star of Hope, an international organization dedicated to helping people, especially children, to overcome dire circumstances and to thrive, has established seven schools in Haiti where the local communities can gather to get needed supplies for survival.?While banks are still operational in Port-au-Prince, many businesses have closed due to the violence and chaos that now threatens this area.
Three of the schools run by Star of Hope are just north and east of the capital and are most affected by the disruption of services.?Communications with them are spotty at best and travel to and from them is often dangerous.?The remaining four schools are located in southern Haiti, at a greater distance from the capital.?While this decreases the danger from the violence, it increases the cost of supplies which typically come from the shipping centers in Port-au-Prince.
Bois Negresse is in the eastern part of Haiti, on the Dominican Republic border.?Located in the biggest pine forest in Haiti, Bois Negresse requires a sense of adventure to reach it.?The roads are rocky and in poor repair.?There is not a lot of money in this area, and it is typically colder than the rest of the country.?The families are large, and their income generally comes from farming.?Unfortunately, water doesn’t come easily to this area.
The school has become the center for the community and development flows from it.?Community Development and Humanitarian Aid have included school buildings, a playground, two cisterns for water, agricultural items (such as seed, tools, and animals), teacher training programs, and education sponsorship support.?The school has a staff of twenty-two with around five hundred students and is run in partnership with the local Pentecostal Christian Church.
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Many of the students would like to attend school for the optimal thirteen years which would include preparation for university studies.?Graduating from ninth grade allows students to attend a vocational school to learn a trade.?Unfortunately, the cost of extended schooling is very high, and it is felt to be a more efficient use of funds to educate a greater number of students through ninth grade.
Hesse is located west of the capital and is a larger community of about 20,000. The school in this community allows students to go through ten grades.?The school was destroyed in an earthquake but was rebuilt in 2012 by Star of Hope and can hold 450 children with thirty-three staff.?The programs running through this school focus on health, education, the environment, energy, and roads.?The hope is to build this school up to where it will allow students to attend thirteen years and move into university studies.?This school partner with the Baptist church.
An area of great sadness is that of the school lunches.?Because food is so expensive due to the disruption of the food distribution chains, students today only have four lunches a week during school.?Part of the problem is the cost of gasoline.?Because one must travel by way of the back roads for safety issues, the travel time is longer which increases the cost of everything.
Although Hess has solar power, Bois Negresse uses charcoal but because charcoal is so difficult to obtain, one of the great needs of the school in Bois Negresse is the conversion to gas.?Hesse could use a playground instead.
Both the schools in Bois Negresse and Hesse need backpacks for the students to carry their supplies, fresh books for the libraries, and internet service.?Water wells and reservoirs are also needed at both schools.
Peace is important for a country and an individual to grow and thrive.?The best route to obtain peace is through the education of the citizenry.?Peace doesn’t come cheaply but it is worth the price.?To see our children healthy and well-fed, nurtured in mind, body, and spirit, is a good goal to reach.?We invite you to join Star of Hope to reach this goal.?Please check out our website at www.starofhope.us for monetary donations or other resources.?