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The sounds of school bells ringing and children chatting away as they hurry off to class soon have returned to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It’s been 19 months since a massive 7.0 magnitude quake tore apart the earth there, destroying everything and everyone near its epicenter, including 80 percent of the schools.

Last May, the ground shook again, but this time it was from the use of heavy machinery clearing sites for schools.  Food For The Poor has built the Jean Marie Guilloux primary and secondary school, the first of four schools slated to go up in and around Haiti’s capital.

The two-level building has a total of 16 rooms including, six classrooms, an administrative office, and a canteen on the first level. Six more classrooms, a library with a computer lab, plus a music room make up the second level.  Each classroom accommodates 40 students and a teacher.  All of the new schools will have a walkway with a canopy and stairway, along with a water well and septic system.

There is also a grassy courtyard to provide students with a secure place to relax or play in between classes. Each school is being built with pre-fabricated earthquake resistant materials.  The schools are also designed to resist a Category 5 Hurricane, which is a storm with wind speeds above of 155 mph.  More than 3,400 students will benefit from the construction of the four new schools.

“This is a blessing for Haiti, especially in Port-au-Prince because we lost so many students that day, along with their many dreams,” said Lesly Clervil, Food For The Poor’s Haiti Project Manager. “The rebuilding of these schools will bring back hope and pride to the children.”   

Shortly after the devastation, many devoted teachers and countless volunteers, determined to help students return to a sense of normalcy, made makeshift classrooms from tents and scraps of fabric.  These classroom settings often were under trees, or in open fields away from the potential danger of falling debris. Desks and chairs were put together from whatever salvageable materials they could find. 

“After seeing this, we knew we had to help,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor.  “Getting the children back into safe buildings, with the proper desks and adequate supplies, became one of our top priorities. I am proud to say that goal is being fulfilled.  We must provide Haiti’s children with the educational tools needed to prepare them for future success – self-sustaining success – to one day rebuild a beautiful and better Haiti.” 

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