Haiti

Delmas 75 Public Learning Center Program

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Haiti’s illiteracy rate is the highest in the Western Hemisphere. More than 50% percent of Haiti’’s population is of school age, yet over half the population is illiterate. Many children cannot afford the costs of education in Haiti because the average family makes less than $1 a day. According to UNICEF, 60% percent of Haiti’s current educational facilities were not built originally to serve as schools. Many classrooms are so overcrowded that only one in four children has a place to sit, and almost two-thirds of all children abandon primary school before completing the six year course. The vast majority of schools lack trained teachers and less than half the children have access to textbooks.

More than sixty percent of the adult population cannot read or write adequately. Our goal is to raise awareness about the importance of youth education and to combat illiteracy.

How The Orphaned Starfish Foundation Helps

Orphaned Starfish, Fondation L’Espri, and the magistracy of Delmas are combining efforts and resources to build and establish a literacy and learning center in Delmas. Disadvantaged youth throughout the capital will have access to the center where they can learn literacy, computer and vocational skills.