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RoselandeProfile: Roselande is a very bright, sweet, and, beautiful 21 year old female living in Jacmel Haiti. She finished high school at the age of 19, which very rare in Haiti, because of the shortcoming of the public school system; especially for someone in her economic and social situation. Roselande’s dad died when she was six years old and her mother died when she was 14 years old. After their mother died she and her sisters moved in with their uncle in Jacmel, Haiti. He was very kind to them and helped them financially. However, he passed away in 2012 leaving them to fend for themselves. Roselande is receiving training a professional school to be a bilingual secretary and she is also taking English classes at Institute Langue de Jacmel on a scholarship in order to improve her language skills. She is working at a local restaurant to pay her school fees. She lives with her 24 year old twin sisters in a one-room apartment.
Challenges: Her current job is not a good place for a young girl to work. She is treated badly. Customers and even her employers are very rude to her. She hates going to work and always prays that her boss will call her to tell her not to come in. She works four nights a week from 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM and is forced to sleep on the hard concrete floor until the taxis start running again at 6:30 AM. She has been looking for a different job where she can use her secretarial skills for almost a year now, but jobs in Haiti are scarce. She cannot quit her current job until she has a new job. Currently, Roselande’s income is barely enough to pay her tuition fees. As a result, she does not have the means for basic necessities such as food and rent. Most days she and her sisters eat as little as one meal or sometimes they can go for days without food. She is in poor health and constantly has headaches and stomach aches. Almost every day she is in pain and finds it hard to concentrate on her schooling. She is constantly worried about her future. Even though on the outside she is bubbly and happy on the inside she is very sad. Needs: A food stipend enough for three meals a day. Money to pay rent for her house. In order for Roselande to study Adminstration and Management at a good university, she would need to go to a private university in Port – au – Prince, which is not possible unless she receives financial support. Future: Roselande would like to start University next year and find a good job to provide a better life for her and her sisters. |
(Funding Found!)
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JoanesProfile: Joanes is a caring, calm, and down to earth 26 year old male living in Jacmel, Haiti. Joanes is the oldest of ten children. His family is originally from Au Cayes, but due to financial reasons, at the age of ten, his parents took him out of school and sent to work as a restavek (child slave) in Port au Prince. From ages 10 to 20, he lived as a restavek for four different families. He was deprived of a childhood and the comfort of a home and family. He says, ages 10 to 16 were the most difficult years for him. He suffered severe physical and emotional abuse at the hand of his hosts. At the age of 16, he went to work for a different family. Though he was not beaten and degraded as in the other places, he was still a restavek and yearned for a sense of belonging.With time, he knew he had to find a job and make a better life for himself. At age 20, his life took a dramatic turn for the better. A friend of his last employer asked him to move in with them and be a part of their family in Jacmel. Even though they were not his family, for the first time in his life he felt like he belonged. Another turning point for Joanes was finding and forming a relationship with God. Through his relationship with God, Joanes learned to trust people and overcome his anxiety which plagued his life. He also learned to not allow bitterness to enslave him, but rather to extend forgiveness to his parents and his former hosts. Joanes believes everything happens for a reason and he uses his experience as a source of inspiration to show love and compassion to others. At age 23, with the help of his new family, he received a scholarship to study carpentry at Ecole Atelier de Jacmel.
Challenges: Joanes’ whole life has consisted of serving other people and never focusing on his own needs. Consequently, his self-worth has been greatly damaged. Being able to provide for himself is directly tied to his self-worth. Last year he graduated from carpentry school but he is still not able to be self-sufficient. Day in and day out he walks the streets looking for work, when he does find work it is very little pay and hard labor. He is constantly exhausted and worried about his future. Money is scarce along with food and paying rent is a struggle. Needs: He wants to be able to start his own workshop so he could open his own business. He would need startup funds, a stipend for food, and help with rent. This would allow him to kick start his career and become self-sufficient. Future: He wants to be able to start his small business so he can be hopeful about his future. Some day he would like to have a beautiful family. He wants to be able to provide for his children and give them the childhood and love he never had. |
(Funding Found!)
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LourdiaProfile: Lourdia is a 25 year old female living in Jacmel Haiti. Lourdia is in Rheto or 11th grade at Ecole K Douge. She is one of four sisters and lives with her twin and younger sister who is 21 years old. Lourdia’s dad died when she was six years old and her mother died when she was 14 years old. After their mother died she and her sisters moved in with their uncle in Jacmel, Haiti. However, he passed away in 2012 and since then they have been left to fend for themselves.
Challenges: Affording food is very difficult for them and unfortunately most days they eat as little as one meal or sometimes they can go for days without food. She is mal-nourished, and is constantly sick. Her mental state, constantly worrying about their next meal or how they are going to pay for their one room house, affects not only her health but her school performance as well. Due to stress, she was not able to pass her Rheto state exam the past two years and is repeating the grade for the 3rd time. . Needs: A food stipend enough for three meals a day. Money to pay rent for her one bedroom house. School tuition and help with adequate health care. Future: Lourdia would like to finish high school then study dermatology. In order to study dermatology, she would have to go to the Dominican Republic or another one of the neighboring countries |
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MaximeProfile: Maxime is a 19 year old male living in a suburb of Jacmel, Haiti. Maxime’s father is a farmer, but there is no work for him currently. As a result, Maxime lives with his sister, her husband, and their child. He is in 3eme (9th grade) at Pinchina high school. He is a smart young man with a yearly academic average of 7/10. An average of 7 is a very high in Haitians schools.
Challenges: Food and tuition are a constant worry for Max. He is mal-nourished and needs medical care, he complains very often of chest pain, which we think may be due to hunger pains. He is not happy at his current school. Often his teachers do not show up on time or do not show up at all for the day. His classmates do not take their studies seriously; there is constant rioting and chaos at the school. He feels socially excluded because of his inability to participate in activities with his friends because of money. His sister’s house is not a comfortable environment. He cannot study well or relax there. Needs: He needs nutritious meals daily. He is very unnaturally skinny for his height and has vitamin deficiency. He needs money to possibly go to a private school where teachers show up and he can be challenged academically. To help him emotionally and socially, some pocket money for transport and to participate in social activities would be very beneficial to him. From personal experience with Max, he seems to have an aptitude for learning English, therefore, in the future, some English classes would be added to his professional support. Future: Maxime would like to be a civil engineer or a doctor. When I asked him why the sponsors should choose him he said, “because of their love for me” |
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JislaineProfile: Jislene is a 20 year old female living in Jacmel, Haiti. She is in Rheto (11th Grade)at Ecole K Douge. She is one of 5 children and lives with her sisters, Nerlande and Martine. Because she cannot afford to meet her basic needs and is unable to have “luxuries” such as a cell phone, clothes and access to the internet to learn about the issues in Haiti and worldwide, she struggles with her self-esteem which affects her social life greatly.
Challenges: She knows she is alive but does not feel alive. She feels sad when she thinks about her future. She is always unsure about her next meal and her tomorrow. Until recently, her sister Martine had a job so they were able to somehow make ends meet, but her sister lost her job and now, they are really struggling financially. She has yet to pay her school tuition; therefore she is not sure if she will be able to finish Rheto this year. This is a second year in Rheto, she cannot afford to redo it and feels she could benefit from some academic support. Needs: Money for food, tuition, and rent would be very helpful for her physical and mental health. Some pocket money to socially uplift her spirit and mental state would be useful. Future: Ideally, Jislene would like to study engineering. She realizes this is not possible due to her financial situation. Instead she believes agronomy would be a good fit for her, because there is a program in Jacmel. |