THANK YOU, SAMARITAN’S PURSE!

Yes, that’s right! Large -very large- earth moving equipment working on the top of Bellevue Mountain!  We are not positive, but probably, the first time ever  for the mountain top to see equipment like that.  A huge thank you goes out to Samaritan’s Purse for grading our school site. The work done in 2 days on the school site saved months of back breaking labor.  Samaritan’s Purse also graded an old road on the back side of the mountain and put in a brand new road on the front side up to the school.  The old rutted, washed out road will not be missed, and the people who live on the mountain are so very grateful  - as is Respire Haiti Christian School.

The new road has a great view of the Caribbean!

The work on our playground saved us months of labor!

Heartfelt Thanks!

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The Walls are Going Up!!

Our new Kindergarten building is coming to life! For a long time it was just an image on paper, but now it is taking shape.  You may wonder why we need a whole building dedicated just for Kindergarten.  In Haiti, the term “Kindergarten” is in all-encompassing term which includes preschool, headstart, and  Kindergarten.  Right now we have  over 60 children in our Kindergarten classes, many still meeting in an outdoor classroom.  We can’t wait for them to be up on the mountain in their own classrooms next Fall!

Click on this picture to see an enlarged image.

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Beauty from Ashes!

Our new artisan program in Gressier, Haiti’s Jewels, is creating beautiful jewelry, and more importantly jobs! Founder of Haiti’s Jewels, Sophie Wiseman-Floyd, reports that many of the artisans are parents of students at our school, or are connected with the construction of the school. It is also exciting that 147Million Orphans is partnering with us in this new venture!  Beauty from Ashes is how 147 Million Orphans is describing our new jewelry line they are carrying! Please take a moment to check out their link!

www.147millionorphans.com

Respire Haiti Christian School

began in October with more than 300 children and 25 teachers looking forward to the upcoming school year.

Phase 1 of the school is almost finished. Three months ago workers started digging the foundation, and it took some real imagination to visualize where classrooms and walkways would be. Not anymore!  Now you can follow the main walkway past 6 distinct classrooms. The block walls have been put up and the roof is almost finished. All of the work has been done by hand by more than 60 workers who are on the jobsite daily, including several hardworking women.  Kyle Fishburn, our American builder/designer, works side-by-side with his Haitian counterpart, Elison Elius.

The local pastor, Pastor Benito, and his wife are also very involved with the school.  Madame Benito is the Directress of the school, while Pastor Benito has been very involved with the details of the construction process. He also leads a community prayer time on top of the mountain to pray for the school.

Several local women serve breakfast for all students, teachers and staff at Respire Haiti’s school, we ensure that these children have a nutritious meal every morning in order to focus and learn better.

The biggest need right now is for school sponsors to help support these new students.  $250.00 covers the cost of books, fees, supplies and a uniform for the school year. Please consider supporting one of our new students by clicking here. As we match students with sponsors, we will send a picture and profile of your student.

We are continually aware that none of this would be happening without the generous hearts of our supporters.  Thank you for caring about the lives of these children!