What a month!  Started September, two and a half months into my new church appointment, with a quick week in Port au Prince Haiti, attending a partners conference with the E’lgise Methodiste of Haiti and partners from England, Canada the US and UMCOR and missions folks.

I begin by saying “thank you” to the people who have graciously donated lap tops for scholarship students in Haiti.  The Geeks4God “refurbishing ministry allows us to “trade in” donated lap tops to be upgraded and we can claim others for the students who “upgrade” from one class level to another. We use our account funds to provide new batteries. The young adult Haitians are so grateful and ask that we pass that on to Geeks4God and all who donate to their needs..

Enickson Villerier, the 5^th year computer science major, texted me 3 days before my trip he was in the hospital following a robbery on a tap tap that morning. All the riders where confronted by a man with a hand gun and told to put all their belongings in a pile. Enickson is a tall, athletic looking young man, and when he put his backpack with phone and computer down the man pushed him backward over the side of the truck into traffic.  He suffered a concussion and laceration to the scalp, severe whiplash injury but was most distressed at the loss of his computer.  I had posted a “onsey” photo to Facebook so when Joe arrived at Church of the Resurrection to pick up the 3 computers headed for students they graciously offered a replacement for Enickson.

We started the scholarship program in 2008 for Methodist young adults on La Gonave who had completed academic work above the normal 6^th grade offered in Haiti.  The EMH offers one scholarship in each circuit each year but only for agriculture and teaching; two vocations with relatively hopeless futures. The scholarships we have provided have been for engineering, nursing science, and computer science in university, and vocational programs in language, computer training, chauffeur and diesel mechanics. South Dakota Conference picked up half the students which included one medical student who will be graduating this next year and beginning practice on La Gonave.

Change is inevitable in all things and with the “advent” of a new Great Plains Conference; we anticipate change in the assistance with tuitions that Kansas East Conference had provided for the last three years. More than half of the selected students have graduated but 14 continue to need tuition and project support.  Of course, there are always others wanting the project to continue to take new students. Our future support is rather iffy at this time.

We face the uncertain future with questions. The total cost for university science majors has been $8000.00 for the FIVE years of school.  High School (like an associate degree in the US) is $200 to 300.00 per semester. Vocational training can range from $150.00 to $350.00 a year, depending on the projects they must complete. These range from 1 year to 2 years per program.

 The question? What source of funding do we explore in the coming two years (we still have our Advance Special); AND would it be reasonable to seek sponsors for new students wanting to enroll?

There are issues!  Haitian businesses do not like to hire Haitian professionals other than nursing science grads!

 

Vocationally trained Haitians seem to find work easily.

Teachers in many Haitian schools have not been paid for months.

Haitian parents do not pay school tuition because the government has said all elementary education should be free. National schools may have one teacher per 50 to 100 students, but it is free.

The EMH charges tuition; classes are smaller; most teachers go months without salary and salary is often less than 75.00 US per month in small villages.

As we “close in” on November and the Bishop’s Round Up Against Hunger, our major funding source, we are uncertain about our future in funding the students that depend on our program.

We have been blessed to serve these worthy young people, the Conference and GBGM since 2007.

We join with the students in saying “thank you” to all who have supported Round Up, our Advance Special and those who have sponsored individual student needs PLUS all the prayer support from individuals and individual congregations. 

We are STILL funding the scholarship program. Please pray for the future.                                            Pastor Shirley and Joe Edgerton,                                                                                                       CUMC Haiti Advance Special #982465-6, mailed to Central UMC, Lawrence Kansas.