I was at the Children’s Academy with some neighborhood kids during recent Christmas break. Jores, father of Children’s Academy students Jonelson and Safera, was fetching water and was on his way back with a five gallon bucket on his head.

“Koman ou ye, Jores?” I asked how he was.

“Pa pi mal.” Not too bad, he replied.

His tone communicated he was not good. I inquired if everything was all right.

“Actually, I don’t have a dime and my kids didn’t yet eat today. My wife is hoping to sell some things at the market this afternoon but I don’t know when she’ll get home.”

Alex and I decided to pay them a visit and gave Jores some money for food. The poverty was sobering: their home is a one room shack made of corrugated metal. We played and joked. When Alex asked Jonelson and Safera about their break, they replied, “WE MISS SCHOOL!”

Thank you for helping Haitians change Haiti through education.

Gratefully,

John Engle
Director and co-founder