School Scholarship Program

Because only about 10% of the schools in Haiti are public, and the tuition for private schools is more than most families can afford, many children in the Ti Plas Kazo neighborhood have almost no hope of getting an education. The School Scholarship Program began in the fall of 2001, when the What If? Foundation provided community leaders with the resources to enroll four children into schools. Over the years, we gradually provided funds for more and more scholarships.

In the 2012-13 school year, even with tuition increases, donor support enabled the What If? Foundation to fund 194 school scholarships for young people in the Ti Plas Kazo neighborhood – 187 elementary and high school students, 6 students at technical schools, and one to medical school student.

What If scholarships cover the costs of students’ tuition as well as the costs of transportation, some books, uniforms, and miscellaneous school fees. In the fall of 2012, tuition averaged $250 for elementary school students, $500 for high school students, and $650 for students at a technical college.

(The photo on the right is of Nathalie Jeonnat, the student we are sponsoring at Quisqueya Medical School in Port-au-Prince.)

Members of the What If education team in Haiti meet with all scholarship recipients throughout the year, tracking their progress and providing encouragement and support. Our Haitian partners are proud to report that 98% of the students we sponsored in the 2011-12 school year graduated or advanced to the next grade level, which is an extraordinarily high pass rate for Haiti. The average national pass rate is far lower, and only about 5% of children who start school in Haiti end up graduating from high school.

“If you don’t know how to read or write, how can you become a president or a lawyer? We are going to school so that we can help our country, the people, and because in life everything is connected.” Sarah Auguste, age 16

See more pictures in our Photo Gallery.

“My goal is to be a doctor so that I can heal the sick. Doctors are so needed in our country because so many are suffering.” – Lorite Rosenie, 8th grade