Haiti Motivate
Educate children of Haiti
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Educate children of Haiti
Call Now
The first thing I would like to share with you is an unimaginable dire reality: Without this school, hosting over 238 students presently, these children would not be in school anywhere. They do not have a choice of any other school. Many of them travel from as far as 15 miles away. There is no reliable transportation system. Their survival is already a miracle in the making. The children of Thomas-Elie, Haiti are seeking Education as well as the love and grace of Jesus.
The official name of the school has evolved to COLLEGE MIXTE VISION CHETIENNE DE THOMAS – ELIE which in English means Mix Christian School Vision of Thomas – Elie. Note: Thomas – Elie is a small area in the larger town of Pestel. For further measure, Pestel is approximately 177 miles west of Port-au-Prince and approximately 42 miles Southeast of Jeremie, which has a small airport.
In July 2010, following the killer earthquake that destroyed Haiti, one member of United Methodist Church of Palm Beaches, (West Palm Beach, FL) FRITZLORME ETIENNE flew to his rural hometown, Thomas-Elie Pestel to help build a small church – his community’s first Christian Church. While the church was being built, he received another calling from God. He had the vision of a small school, once the church was built.
October 2010: A small space in the church was extended to 6 children to start school. Within 3 weeks, 30 students arrived. It became clear then the church would not be able to accommodate the number of students. A separate school building was established with private funds starting with the 30 students. Word spread like a wildfire and that number quickly grew to 200 students with a staff of 1 director and 6 teachers. The school became accredited by the Haitian government. Students, based on their abilities, are transferred to government high schools
October 2016: hurricane Mathew struck Haiti, already severely damaged by the 2010 earthquake, and destroyed 6 years of hard work. Thanks to the perseverance of teachers and students the classes were held in the destroyed church covered with blue tarps as well as at Fritzlorme Etienne’s Haiti private home. The support we received from UMCPB Mission: $5000 and from FRITZLORME ETIENNE: $4000, allowed us to start the reconstruction of our school.
August 14, 2021: A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Southwestern Haiti. Its epicenter was about 10 km from Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, approximately 150 km (93 miles) west of Port-au-Prince the capital. The quake left behind significant damage. Tsunami warnings were immediately issued as several small tsunami waves struck surrounding areas. An estimated 2,207 people have been confirmed dead, while 344 remain missing, and over 12,000 were left injured. It was the strongest earthquake to strike Haiti since 1842. Our school again experienced significant damage to its roof and walls. Our charity was formed, largely in response to this most recent setback, to bring hope to the people of Pestel and Haiti.
Today, in 2022 our vision is to build a bigger, stronger 3,456 square feet school with proper shelter: To better serve the growing needs of our children and to better withstand future natural disasters. Please see our website sections under “Budget” and “Projects”. The estimated cost of the 3,456 square feet building was $370,000 prior to the significant rise in inflation in 2021 and will require an upward revision. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support. Please join us in this journey of faith through the will of God almighty.
