Saint Jacques Morne Rosette

About 15 miles outside of Port de Paix sits a small Episcopal church and school; Saint Jacques Morne Rosette. However, traveling 15 miles on the roads of Haiti is no small feat. These unpaved roads have suffered under years of neglect and repeated damage from flooding. Our 15 mile trip took well of over an hour and included crossing five rivers/streams and navigating some nearly impassable trenches and cliff sides. While in route, we passed numerous Haitians traveling by mule and on-foot. Pickup trucks stuffed with 20+ passengers sitting in the truck bed gingerly navigated the treacherous roads to Port de Paix.

The church and school at Rosette was a stark contrast to Holy Innocents In Port de Paix. As we drove up to the site the buildings were noticeably damaged from the outside. Many of the tin roof panels had been dislodged by the recent hurricanes and large holes dotted the facade. The interior of the classrooms were no better than the outside. Students sat in small, dark, and dirty classrooms. Two of the classrooms were sitting silently without the supervision of a teacher. I later learned that the school does not have the money to pay for teachers so often teachers simply do not show up.

About a year ago, 300 students attended the school, but after the hurricanes the student population dwindled to about 100. Some of the 100 students ride their family’s mule to school—a small field next to the school was the mule “parking lot.” Many families have been unable to send their kids to school either because of road/travel conditions or the necessity to keep the children at home. Unlike Holy Innocents, not all of the kids were dressed in the “required” uniform. Father Ais questioned some of the kids about their missing uniforms and each had the same answer: “My family could not pay for the uniform.” Also missing from each classroom were text books. The school has not been able to afford books so classes are conducted without any educational materials.

When we toured the small church, I noticed the youngest students being taught at the back of the building. The hurricane damaged (beyond repair) the classroom that once housed the pre-k and Kindergarten classrooms. My heart broke when visiting Rosette—the students and teachers do not have the environment or resources to cultivate a positive education experience.

The needs are simple at Rosette: Money! The church and school need money to pay the teachers and to buy books and supplies. This might be Campbell Hall’s first project.