CCH has been involved in education support since 2012. We currently have 11 partner schools—with approximately 200 educators and 2,500 students—in and around Jacmel, supporting each in different ways based on needs. Areas of education support include the following:
- School director (principal) and teacher training
- Part-time school nurses
- Agricultural training and school gardens
- Food for daily school meals
- School supplies
- Summer camp
Since 2020, we have partnered with organizations Blue Butterfly and Summits Education, utilizing their Haitian staff to support school director/teacher training and to supplement curriculum and classroom opportunities for students.
“Our school nurse, Miss Paul, takes good care of us. She gives us free medicines and she is always here for us. I feel like my life changed because of what she did for me.” Click here to read more of Charles’ story.
Our school nurses work three days per week at three of our rural partner schools. Their presence has helped bridge a gap between students/families and our clinic in Jacmel, as well as helped to identify unaddressed issues needing a doctor.
Students’ health is improving thanks to the “iron fish” in their school lunches.
In late 2024, our school nurses worked with school directors and school cooks to change school meal ingredients for iron enrichment. Many students were exhibiting visual signs of anemia. But within months of adding iron-rich ingredients and implementing the “iron fish” in the cooking process, those symptoms dissipated. School nurses continue to monitor this.
Each year, we provide more than 120,000 meals to school students. Those meals are often supplemented with the school garden’s harvest. Students are immensely proud to harvest and eat what they have helped grow. And the fresh garden vegetables add always-needed nutritional value to the daily meals.