La Gonave Haiti Partners

There is nothing like the feeling of having fresh supplies! Students in Palma and Ticotelette are feeling this as new booklets, backpacks, and other necessary supplies are distributed during class.

Recently the mayor of Anse-a-Galets (the capital of La Gonâve) gave a radio interview regarding refugees fleeing from the mainland violence between specific bandits and townspeople. Prior to conducting a census, the mayor estimated arrivals to the island around 7,000. Our partners in St. Francis Parish have not seen numbers like this in the 11 communities in which they serve. All are monitoring the situation, knowing that in Haiti, things can change rapidly. We have assured our support for new needs that may arise for the churches to meet, but at this time, the Priest in Charge assures us that they will request help if needed. In happier news, enjoy these photos from St. Francis students today!

These photos are from the Feast Day for St. Simon & St. Jude in Planton Balai! Many attended a beautiful worship service and celebrated with one another. Feast Days are great way for the community in Planton Balai to come together in hope and positivity.
At the same time, Planton Balai's US partner congregation--St. Andrew's Angelican Church--is celebrating its birthday today, 10/30!

In Planton Balai, the parish successfully distributed school supplies, fabric for uniforms, and shoes for kids who don't have any. These necessary items will help more students show up for class ready to learn, and provide more teachers the tools they need.

An update on the garden in Planton Balai! Sweet potatoes, watermelon, and manioc are growing strong as La Gonâve approaches the end of the Fall rainy season.

These students at the Professional Center of St. Francis are excited to start the new year of school. The trade school builds valuable skills and personal growth that prepares these students to enter the workforce. We expect a successful year for this group!

Some photos from the feast day of St. Francis last week! It is great to see the community coming together ✨

The first week of school is well underway, and teachers are working hard to educate the next generation!

Today is the first day of the school year on La Gonâve! Yesterday, the final preparations were made to welcome the students into the new year at St. Francis. Classrooms are decorated while new furniture and supplies are put to use!

The feast day of St. Francis is coming up tomorrow, so members of St. Francis church are preparing for the celebration. They are cooking chicken and rice to share. This fête, or feast day, brings the community together!

Palma is getting windows and glass doors installed in their new computer classroom and library building at St. Marthe & St. Marie School! The new benches that were recently built are seen here too. It is all coming together!

St. Francois has installed pipes to bring water from the primary and the Professional Center buildings to the big cistern at the Rectory. This allows more drinking water to be collected and used for the school & church! Water is difficult to find on the island, so it is important to use as many buildings as they can to collect and store water.

Congratulations to the 47 9th graders from St. Francis who passed their final exam! 100% of the students who took the test passed. One student scored a 1404 out of 1600, which makes him a national finalist. We applaud all of their hard work.

Sainte Croix in Nouvelle Cité has recently been repainted. Paint protects the building materials and gives the school a fresh start for the year--and a better environment for the kids. What a beautiful color!

We stand in support of our Haitian brothers and sisters in the United States. Honor, respect, compassion, strength in the face of adversity, and above all- forgiveness- is the path forward.

These are photos of the almost finished kitchen in Bois Brule. Just missing paint and furniture, it is planned to be complete in time for the new school year. School has been pushed back to start in October. We hope this kitchen will provide the kids some tasty meals!

While these photos may not look like much, they show three doors obtained through a fraught journey from the mainland to Caries--a port town. Carriers arrived by sailboat, bringing with them supplies to build furniture, and the doors in the photos. The three doors will go in the computer lab and library in Palma. The difficult journey to get the doors there will not be forgotten!

In preparation for the new school year, the parish is building benches, chairs, and chalkboards to refresh classrooms. It is hard work making furniture, but worth it to be able to provide a good learning environment for the kids!

Starting on Sunday, there is a large teacher training for PreK-6th grade educators across 10 schools. It is a 3 day long overnight training conference that prepares them for the coming school year Sunday evening, they attended a worship service and had a welcome dinner. Today, they began the first sessions!

From golden field to table, corn is a staple on La Gonâve. Here, corn is being roasted over a fire. It is often dried and ground like grits and used to supplement school lunches! It makes a huge difference in the community to have locally grown food 🌱

Take a look at the goat park in Nouvelle Cite, next to the gardens there. The goats are a great resource. Pere Vil plans to decentralize from 1 goat park to 2-3 others in different communities.

Plantains, starchier than bananas, are a popular fruit on La Gonave. These plantain trees are in Nouvelle Cite and will provide a great source of fresh food. The photos show the fruit in different stages of growth--the last one is just beginning to grow!

Parents of 7th and 8th graders are meeting with school administrators in Palma at St. Marthe and St. Marie. The 8th graders have excellent results! The rising 8th graders will receive extra instruction from teachers this summer to prep them for 8th grade this fall. Parents and students are pictures in these photos.

Day 2 of testing for 9th graders on La Gonâve!

"Today, 9th grade students nationwide begin their 3 days of final exams. The exam is the culmination of their Fundamental education (Grades 1-9) and necessary to continue to the Secondary level (high school). The St. Francis campus is once again honored to serve as the national testing site for La Gonave students. We send our prayers to these hard-working students for a successful exam!!