Haiti Scholarship Program

 

On November at the Bellissimo Italian Restaurant in Montvale, members welcomed Judy Reilly who spoke to us about the Haiti Scholarship Program. Rotary has supported the Haite Scholarship Program from its beginnings in 1996.  Judy comes from Our Lady of Mercy Church  (OLM) in Park Ridge. In 1996 they became a twin parish with a parish in Haiti.  They soon learned that their partners could not afford to send their children to secondary school. And organized a program to help children go to school  Eventually, it got to a point where there were too many children so OLM began so seek other contributes. They also started a scholarship test for students in each grade. The highest 230 scoring students are sent to school every year.  Although the Haiti Scholarship Fund is a church program, preference is not shown to any one religion. When the Haiti Scholarship Fund began, the literacy rate was 47%. Not it is about 60%. 

 

The Haiti Scholarship Fund provides a handful of university scholarships. They have seen 17 university students graduate over time.  Their Graduates include engineers, accountants, agronomists, doctors, a business administrator and a law student. Many come back to their village, which as become a bustling community.