Our History
In 2007, my husband Joe and I (Nadia) visited the rural village, Rodaille, where my grandparents and my father were born. We were really overwhelmed by the extreme poverty and the number of unschooled children. My husband and I, being both educators, could not walk away from this opportunity to serve. We knew that God was calling us to act and we responded to that call.
We really wanted to partner with this community, and instill in these kids the same passion for education my father, himself only having studied till 7th grade, instilled in me. We wanted to end the cycle of poverty caused by illiteracy. This was also my chance to give back to the community which gave me my father, his love, and the opportunities I got in life as a result of my education.
I came back 4 more times before opening the school. During my visits, I met with the leaders and parents in order to discuss ways we could help and how they could support the project.
We really wanted to partner with this community, and instill in these kids the same passion for education my father, himself only having studied till 7th grade, instilled in me. We wanted to end the cycle of poverty caused by illiteracy. This was also my chance to give back to the community which gave me my father, his love, and the opportunities I got in life as a result of my education.
I came back 4 more times before opening the school. During my visits, I met with the leaders and parents in order to discuss ways we could help and how they could support the project.
The result was a community school.
My husband and I first used our savings to start the school. As the school expanded and we could no longer support the school on our own, we worked to find funding in the USA from friends, family members, and our church. The community leaders and parents were responsible for bringing the children to school and volunteering their time as a way to contribute to their child’s education. We incorporated strong community involvement in order to help families and the community feel a sense of ownership and pride. The school was for them. In 2009 we opened our school, Ecole Jeremie St. Fort.
We did not even have the means to build classrooms or bathrooms.
Time was of the essence and we were convinced that something was better than nothing. We constructed two classrooms out of thatch and leased a small house nearby for an office and another classroom. Our first students were diverse to say the least. We started with seventy students, ranging in age from five to twelve years old. Due to the lack of prior schooling they all had to be placed in kindergarten and first grade.
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