Education in Haiti faces substantial challenges, with a limited percentage of the population gaining access to tertiary education. The CIA World Factbook estimated that in 2021, only about one in 20 young adults in Haiti had the opportunity to pursue higher education. Underfunding, inadequate infrastructure and ongoing political and economic instability have further exacerbated this issue. Despite these challenges, Haiti remains hopeful for improvement through government initiatives and external partnerships to expand access to higher education. These efforts are crucial in providing the country’s youth with better prospects for the future and strengthening higher education in Haiti. 

Education Linked to Poverty

Education in Haiti is closely intertwined with the nation’s poverty issue. Nearly 90% of Haitians live below the poverty line, with nearly a third of them living in extreme poverty. With poverty playing such a prevalent role across the country, many of Haiti’s citizens lack the agency to be able to pursue tertiary education. The lack of affordable options and inadequate educational infrastructure further hampers the prospects of economic improvement for most of the population. Expanding access to higher education is essential to break the poverty cycle and offer Haiti’s citizens a brighter future. 

Education and Gender Inequality

The topic of education in Haiti is closely tied to gender inequality in the country. This gender disparity is evident in the enrollment rates, with fewer females accessing tertiary education. Additionally, as the World Bank points out, adult men in Haiti are far more likely than their female counterparts to attend or complete secondary and tertiary education. Cultural and socio-economic factors often limit educational opportunities for women, perpetuating gender disparities in various aspects of Haitian society. This gender imbalance hinders the empowerment and economic prospects of women and contributes to the broader issue of gender inequality in the nation. 

About Lumen Vitae

The organization Lumen Vitae can trace its beginnings to a small mission trip group that visited Camp Corail in Croix-des-Bouquets in 2011. This group joined the efforts of the group Caritas in Veritate International to bring critical aid to internally displaced refugees following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Haiti. Many of the mission trip’s participants were avid members of Jesus Youth, an international missionary movement rooted in the Catholic Church. With the support of Jesus Youth, these mission trips continued for a few years, returning to Haiti to help rebuild the country after such a devastating natural disaster. Humble beginnings of educational outreach were also possible, with an initiative led in conjunction with the local Scalabrini Fathers to educate 25 Haitian children. 

Through continued mission trips, Jesus Youth continued to support financial assistance for students located in Camp Corail. By taking a definitive step forward, the organization sent a missionary of its own in 2016 to explore the possibility of a larger project for education in Haiti. This probe proved to eventually be successful, with Jesus Youth deciding to create Lumen Vitae in 2017. As a subsidiary charitable organization, Jesus Youth started Lumen Vitae to bring dignity through education to those living in poverty in Haiti. Since then, Lumen Vitae has been able to lead initiatives and programs to further its goal of educational equity, especially by opening the Lumen Vitae Office, the “Limye Lavi Learning Center” professional school, and reaching more than 600 Haitian children. 

However, Lumen’s Vitae’s efforts are not just limited to educational equity. The organization has also extended its charitable efforts to other areas, recognizing the interconnectedness of global poverty in affecting many aspects of life. For example, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic had disastrous effects worldwide, which were even more prominent in developing countries such as Haiti. In response to the rapid inflation of goods in Haiti during this time, Lumen Vitae played a pivotal role in organizing a “Race for the Light” donation event. With more than 2,450 people participating in the event, it raised $260,000 to feed poor families in Haiti. 

When Passion Intertwines With Purpose

As a senior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Poverty Studies, Allan George found himself deeply attracted to the mission of Lumen Vitae. In an interview with The Borgen Project, he remarked that he was “looking for an opportunity to explore the issue of global poverty and also be able to do some good in the world.” This search led him to find Lumen Vitae. Subsequently, he landed an internship with the organization, helping the marketing team reach potential donors to sponsor children’s education in Haiti.

To achieve this, he helped set up Hubspot, a customer relationship management software, to manage prospective donors properly. He also worked on Lumen Vitae’s Podcast with Audio editing with Logic Pro and Video editing with Final Cut Pro. He helped publish the Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Although he has many incredible thoughts about his Lumen Vitae internship, George shared that “what stood out to [him] the most was the ability to turn small actions into something meaningful which can help to reduce educational inequality. [He] greatly encourages anyone interested to look into getting involved with organizations in order to alleviate global poverty.”

– Nathaniel George
Photo: Flickr