Primary and Secondary Schools
Haiti has the lowest total rate in the education realm in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti’s literacy rate is below the 90% average literacy rate for Latin American and Caribbean countries with 61% for males and 57% for females. This is due to Haiti facing shortages and funding for educational supplies and qualified teachers.
The educational sector is under the responsibility of the Ministre de l'Éducation Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle (MENFP). The Ministry provides very little funds to support public education.
The enrollment rate for primary schools is over 85% and much lower for secondary schools. Only 22% of children move to secondary education. This is partly due to the cost to go to private schools and increased tuition over the years. Change the Stars believes education promotes change which is why CTS provides financial assistance to over 2,500 children in 10 primary schools mainly in Petite Riviera de Nippes to help with textbooks and supplies along with infrastructure repairs due to reoccurring earthquakes and maintenance upkeep.
La Maison d’Harmonie Orphanage
La Maison D’Harmonie is local shelter home for orphan children that provides safe housing, care, and education for 16 children between the ages of 3 and 17 years old. Change the Stars strives to help these unprivileged children rewrite their destinies and feel empowered to pursue their dreams.
Haiti has an estimated 1.2 million orphans and is also known as, vulnerable children. Every week, hundreds of babies and children are abandoned shortly after birth. The Harmony House, in Arcahaie, Haiti, currently houses 16 children between the ages of 3 and 17. Many children who come to the orphanage are siblings who were dropped off by their parents or others due to a lack of resources to support their children due to poverty. We provide shelter, education, medical treatment, food, and water to ensure a healthy and safe living environment. Our goal is to continue providing a safe house for those left behind, as well as, one day, build a bigger orphange.
Scholarship Program
Change the Stars awards scholarships to top-ranking high school students from 10 local high schools in Petite Rivière de Nippes and the surrounding area. The students have a choice to further their education at a university in Haiti or they can attend any trade schools of their choice. In order to obtain an active status in our scholarship program, each student must maintain a high GPA, submit their grades every semester and continue to work hard to achieve their goals.
Less than 1% of Haiti’s young scholars will go on to receive a university degree in Haiti. Students who are able to pass Haiti’s baccalaureat exam often require scholarships or other tuition relief to attend college. Change the Stars has provided scholarship funding to over 30 students to continue their studies at a university or trade school of their choice. Through our scholarship program, those looking for financial assistance will apply to our program and undergo a written exam expressing their dreams and passion for their next adventure. Education is the best way to achieve generational change and with our program and your help, we can change the destinies of those who work hard for a brighter future.
Children’s Hospital Program
The Sisters of Charity Children’s Hospital in Port au Prince serves between 80 and 200 children and is run by two nuns with the help of a few local women. Change the Stars assists the hospital by providing Pedialyte and formula, paying for medicine for the children, and by covering the cost of a pediatrician to work three days a week at the hospital. Our support of the hospital is critical, as the only investment they receive is a small amount of funding from Catholic churches within Haiti.
Roughly 40 percent of Haiti's population lacks access to essential health and nutrition services; roughly 60 percent of childbirths in Haiti occur outside of health facilities and without a skilled provider, and 22 percent of children under 5 years old are stunted. Located in Port au Prince, The Sisters of Charity Children’s Hospital serves between 80 and 200 children with just two nuns volunteering their time to help ill and malnourished children. Change The Stars continues to provide Pedialyte, formula, medication, and a small salary to a full-time pediatrician to assist the nuns with the influx of children needing medical attention daily. Your contribution helps a child in need every day.