Give
Special Offering 2021
En Español
Week of Compassion
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • Staff
    • Board of Stewards
    • From The Executive Director
    • Partners
  • Action
    • COVID-19 Response >
      • COVID-19 Offering Resources
    • Domestic Disaster Response & Preparedness >
      • How To Prepare For A Disaster
    • International Disaster Response
    • Sustainable Development
    • Refugees and Displaced People
  • Stories
  • Resources
    • Special Offering >
      • Special Offering 2021
    • Worship Material
    • Media
    • Logos
    • Archive
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give >
      • Circle of Compassion
      • Endowments
    • Invite Us to Your Church
    • Volunteering & Support
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Stories

Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance
 In our weekly updates, we share stories of our presence and impact around the world: from disaster response, to refugee and immigration ministry, to ongoing sustainable development projects in impoverished areas. Catch up on updates you missed, or find stories you want to read and share again! Or, subscribe to receive weekly email updates. 

Safe Places to Learn in Haiti

1/21/2020

Picture
Photo, CWS
Following a disaster, immediate needs are clear: food, water, shelter, emergency care. But many other needs emerge in the longer term, and one of the most critical is the need for children to return to school.
Every new school year brings with it expenses for tuition, uniforms, bags, and books. The school year had just begun when Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti in October of 2016. With newly purchased uniforms and books destroyed, and with schools severely damaged, many students dropped out of school. Some were sent to live with friends or relatives in less affected areas. When this happens, it increases the risk of child domestic servitude. When children live with families other than their own, they may be exploited and used for household chores. In many cases, they are denied the right to education, get little rest, and may suffer from physical, verbal, or sexual abuse.  

Working closely with our partner Church World Service, Week of Compassion approaches the reconstruction of schools not only as a response to disaster, but also as a way to prevent exploitation of children and to protect students and teachers against the impact of future disasters. Following Hurricane Matthew, CWS contacted the Ministry of Education to identify schools that needed repairs or reconstruction. One of the schools identified as a priority was the public school of Mentor, Grand Anse. 
                                       
Initial rebuilding work began shortly after the storm in 2016. The school consisted of three classrooms, which CWS repaired early on. Then the mayor requested the construction of three additional classrooms as, according to Ministry of Education regulations, each school should have at least six classrooms. Thanks to additional funds --including support from Week of Compassion-- CWS was able to honor this request, and construction on three new classrooms began in 2018. 

The community and CWS leadership faced significant hardship in the process of rebuilding, including the discovery of hard rock on the building site that nearly brought the whole project to a halt. But they persisted in completing the project, finding ways to overcome barriers and ultimately providing a safe space for students to learn, grow, and flourish.

With this newly upgraded facility, many things are possible. Because of the additional classroom space, more students are now enrolled and classes are not overcrowded. The school also serves as a community center where other gatherings and programs take place, and the improved facility serves as a hurricane shelter for the entire community. 
          
Students and teachers alike express that with the new classrooms, they are no longer afraid of natural disasters. And improved construction practices acquired during the build will mean better, safer facilities throughout the whole community for years to come. With your support, and through the work of our partners, Disciples are ‘investing in futures’ in places like Haiti--where a safe place to learn, gather, and grow means a better future for all.

Download PDF
Invest In Futures: 2020 Special Offering Materials
 


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019

    Categories

    All
    Advent
    Africa
    Agriculture
    Asia
    Australia
    Bangladesh
    Border Ministry
    Central America
    COVID 19 Relief
    Cyclone
    Development
    Disaster Response
    Earthquakes
    Education
    En Espanol
    Executive Director Updates
    Floods
    Food Security
    General Assembly
    Haiti
    Honduras
    Hurricane
    Immigration
    India
    Indonesia
    International
    Japan
    Missouri
    Mumbai
    Myanmar
    Preparedness
    Puerto Rico
    Refugees
    Special Offering
    Tornado
    Typhoon
    US Storms
    Wildfires
    Women's Empowerment

Picture
Week of Compassion 
P.O. Box 1986 
Indianapolis, IN 46206
Week of Compassion is the relief, refugee and development mission fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada
Contact Us

Follow Us

  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • Staff
    • Board of Stewards
    • From The Executive Director
    • Partners
  • Action
    • COVID-19 Response >
      • COVID-19 Offering Resources
    • Domestic Disaster Response & Preparedness >
      • How To Prepare For A Disaster
    • International Disaster Response
    • Sustainable Development
    • Refugees and Displaced People
  • Stories
  • Resources
    • Special Offering >
      • Special Offering 2021
    • Worship Material
    • Media
    • Logos
    • Archive
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give >
      • Circle of Compassion
      • Endowments
    • Invite Us to Your Church
    • Volunteering & Support
  • Donate
  • Contact Us