The Haiti Mission School
BACKGROUND
The “Friends of Siloam School at Labastille, Inc” is more commonly known as the Haiti Mission School. It was started in 2007 by the Rev. Tom and JoEllen Parsons in response to perceived needs and requests by parents in the area of southwest Haiti known as Labastille.
Rev. Tom and JoEllen had been traveling to Haiti since the year 2000 and had become familiar with this area of Haiti known as the Grand Anse. This free school began in 2007 with a single Kindergarten/first grade class of 24 students. These students ranged in ages from 4-14 years old. Imagine being 14 years old and having your first opportunity to go to school.
Second Year Class
In the second year, those who had completed their studies moved up second grade class and a new k/1 class was started. This process continued until 2013, when the school was now a complete primary school with six classes in grades k/1-6. That year we initiated a program of selecting six of our best graduates and paying tuition to send them to a nearby secondary school. We continue to add six new students each year
In 2016 Hurricane Matthew destroyed our school buildings. Plans to rebuild are currently held up in negotiations with the Haitian government.
CURRENT SITUATION: We are meeting in the Labastille church and temporary classrooms. The primary school is essentially full with 147 students (out of a possible 150) with 27 of our graduates receiving scholarships to secondary school. Students at the primary school receive a free hot meal each day and there is filtered water available for drinking and washing up.
The 2019-20 school year in Haiti has been chaotic. Schools were closed for two months due to massive demonstrations against the government. No sooner had they returned to class than the COVID19 crisis hit which closed schools again for three months. We are unsure how this will affect the students’ education (it can’t be good—no distance learning here), and whether schools will open in the fall.
We receive support from 14 churches and numerous individuals. Donations can be made through Trinity Church, PayPal (Haiti Mission School) or by sending a check to this address:
HAITI MISSION SCHOOL
PO Box 445
LAKE LUZERNE, NY 12846
You can also reach us by email at haitimissionschool@gmail.com.