FAQ

Q. So, when did this, the Haiti ministry, begin?

A. Our first funding of teachers’ salaries was in 2008; closure of the school was forestalled. 

Q. Now, how is this project of the our ministry funded?

A. Donations from the parishioners of St James, and those of Grace and other friends. 100% of donations go to Haiti. There is no direct support from the budget of Grace Church or St James Church .  All donations  pass through the  accounts of Grace Church and benefit from the tax deductibility.  Administrative expenses are met by other individual donors.

 Q. What is the mission of the Haiti ministry?

A. To reduce barriers to education in Haiti. One third of Haitian youth are unable to read; for peasant families, school expenses amount to 40% of the family income.

Q. Tell me again, why Haiti?

A.  Our neighbor, 700 miles off Miami, poorest and least developed nation by far in our hemisphere.

	Human Devlopment Index	Income per Capita	Mean years of schooling
Latin America & Caribbean	0.783	$18,048	9.1
Sub-Saharan Africa	0.568	$4,352	6.2
Haiti	0.554	$2,935	5.4

Q. What is the curriculum at St. Matthieu?

A.  St. Matthieu follows the calendar  and curriculum laid out by the Haitian Ministry of Education (MENFP). There has been a recent streamlining of the grades. The required grades for the primary education certificae have been increased from 6 to 9

Q.  I have heard that Haiti’s troubles are worsening and gang violence increasing.  How can this school function?

A.  Regrettably, you are right. The socio-political situation has markedly deteriorated since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.  Schools have closed, children have lost years of education. Happily, we can report that the rural environs of St. Matthieu have been spared this trauma. The need for schools is ever more pressing. Please help! 

Q. How’s they gender balance at St Matthew’s

A. Very even as it is in most schools in Haiti through primary and secondary grades. In colleges boys predominate.