Jubilation!

Your efforts and support have been and are paying off!

This morning I opened my “WhatsApp” application (app for texting in the developing world), and it was blown up by team Haiti. Our 2016/2017 senior class valedictorian (Hansly Delivert) passed the entry exam administered by the government medical school and he will be accepted!

Here’s the context for this great news:

Education in Haiti is private, and the primary and secondary schools run by the government are not good. In fact, they are bad, with very few exceptions. On the other hand, the government universities are the best in the nation. They are extremely tough to get into! To get into any of the government universities, not only do you have to have perfect or close to perfect scores, but you also need a few phone calls from some government ministers who can throw their weight around and ask for favors! It’s not because these ministers cannot pay at the private universities, but it’s because they know the public ones are the best. Imagine getting into the top university in the States — MIT, Harvard, or any other elite institution — this just happened to one of our students who has been educated in the mountains of Haiti! He has no one to call the admission office on his behalf, but he got in on merit alone!

When I say jubilation, I mean jubilation! I tried hard to be still, because my heart was just beating too fast with excitement!

This year we achieved a 100% passing rate in all three grades that take the national government exams (6th, 9th and 13th). One of our students from the senior class took the medical school entry exam and scored high enough that they could not deny him entry. Even though he has no heavyweights behind him, just his preparation and determination are defying the odds! To date, this will be our fourth student who has gotten into government universities (law, sociology, ethnology, and now medicine).

I told you that your efforts are paying off! This is no small feat! We have gotten to this point because of your sheer effort and determination to see a next generation of leaders lead their country. I do dream of a day when we all embark on a trip to Haiti, to go not to build a school, a clinic, or a church, but to hang out and spend time with our friends and collaborators, because Haiti is taking care of Haiti. The continued investment in the remote communities, in the lives of young people will help achieve the goal of just going — to be and not to do!

Thank you a million times for our 17-year partnership and counting! May God richly bless you and give you great health to continue this collaboration and partnership, so we can get to the point where all we do is watch and rejoice in the Haitians’ efforts of building Haiti in collaboration with the international community…but of course, they’ll be driving the bus!

– Elade

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