School builds a future for Haitian children
January 16, 2012 • by By Fr. Marcel Saint-Jean
Posted in World News

There is a proverb we have in Haiti: “Lavé mains, suyé a tè.” A loose English translation might be “Wash your hands and dry them on the dirt.” Some of the parents whisper it to me each time I travel to Haiti to see the school I started there, Union Center Samaiti. They say it with all their respect and gratitude, because I am now trying to add a high school.

The saying emphasizes how hard life is for children not able to continue on after primary school. Even though the children who graduate from the primary school are better off than many, their choices are few. High school can give the child the chance not to be a little slave in someone else’s house, as is so common in Haiti; a high school education means that a child won’t have to go into the busy streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, with small towels in their hands to clean cars. Again, the school will prevent them from being abused and working hard as little slaves with a basket on the top of their heads selling candies, cigarettes, matches… from sunrise till sunset in the heat of Port-au-Prince.

For those who do not know me, I was born in Port-au- Prince. As a young man, after completing a year of civil engineering and a year with the Redemptorists Congregation, I came to the United States and went to Immaculate Conception Seminary in New Jersey. I was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport by Bishop Edward M. Egan.

I never stopped thinking about the many poor children of Haiti, many with no food on their table and no facilities for learning. I imagined how many would love to go to school and not have to suffer from hunger. During a trip to Haiti in August 2000, while visiting several orphanages and seeing the living conditions of the children, the desire to make a difference in their lives was revived within me. With the help of gengenerous donors from this diocese, I was able to start a school for underprivileged children, educating 300 students.

When I first heard the news of the earthquake back in January, 2010, I thought the school was totally collapsed. But unlike other houses close to the school that are totally destroyed, the school, although damaged and cracked, was able to stand.

For safety reasons, some areas can not be used right now. With the restricted space, the school can presently accommodate 250 students. Since we must rebuild the school, this will be the occasion to serve the students not just from grades one through eight, but also a high school. Extending the school till high school will put the children in a position to have their dreams come true.

I know we have our own challenges here, but, nonetheless, I am asking you to join me in this effort to bring a bit of joy, life and a better future in the lives of these children. Brick by brick we will find a way. I truly believe saving a child could mean saving a family, a community and even a country.

(Fr. Marcel Saint-Jean is parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish in Shelton. Anyone interested in making a donation to Union Center Samaiti can call him at 203.434.7208 or 203.924.8611, or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). For more information on Union Center Samaiti, visit www.ucsamaiti.org.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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