Our ministry partner, PiFò Haiti (using the Haitian Créole word meaning stronger), supports over 500 students and 30 staff members through its projects, all with the goal of locally-led sustainability.
What began in 2011 as a ministry to provide Christian education to children on the island of La Gonâve, Haiti, has slowly developed to become the holistic support network it is today. PiFò Haiti’s focus is on capacity, not poverty, as it empowers future generations through Haitian-led education and community development programmes.
Programmes include:
Student Scholarships
PiFò Haiti gives scholarships based on financial need, as well as other criteria such as attendance and work ethic. Children learn core academic subjects, taught by Christian teachers. Each parent is encouraged to pay an affordable portion of their child’s education, allowing them to participate in the pride and satisfaction of providing for the needs of their families.
Teacher Certification Support
Only six out of every 1,000 teachers have a diploma or certificate in their field in Haiti. Nearly 25% have not attended secondary school. Beginning with nine teachers in 2019, PiFò Haiti has been providing funding for the three-year professional teaching qualification.
Food Programme
Due to the pandemic, political unrest and food costs tripling in less than a year, Haiti has fast approached famine-like conditions. In 2021, PiFò Haiti was able to expand its food programme to include three elementary schools, meaning over 300 students are given a nutritious meal five times a week for the entire school year.
Community Support
Because of the reasons above, PiFò Haiti is prioritising feeding the elderly and vulnerable, as well as strengthening an existing agricultural project in the mountains that will provide jobs, clean water and fresh produce. PiFò Haiti is also assisting the police in creating a programme providing meals to prisoners and guards who would otherwise go hungry.
In-Country Purchasing
Shopkeepers and market vendors have been put out of business because of foreign aid organisations flooding the market with donations, such as clothing and school supplies. PiFò Haiti wants to change the conversation and be honest about what effective poverty alleviation looks like by investing in local businesses and purchasing supplies in Haiti.
About Haiti
La Gonâve is a Haitian island located 25km off the mainland where approximately 130,000 people reside. Used as an island of exile for undesirables many years ago, La Gonâve is known as “the island that Haiti forgot”. The capital of La Gonâve is Anse-à-Galets with a population of approximately 52,000. The unemployment rate on the island is 80% with a mere 40% literacy rate. Only 20% of the population have access to public education.
