Gabriel started the Community of Saint Rose of Lima school in Matabonite. Currently, this consists of 4 classrooms, an auditorium, cafeteria, and bathrooms. Future projects will be a secondary school and a vocational school. (link here to vocational school)
Students gather in the courtyard to greet visitors.
February 2007 (Gabriel): Our St. Rose of Lima School looks more like a school now. There is a room for each class. The teacher and the students have enough space and several of the classrooms have a desk to store materials they daily need. Look around you; a cafeteria is almost ready for our kids, why not an office to better administer the school?
The kids learn. The last exams they had, the entire school passed with a score of 90%. We just had other exams for the Easter season. We shall see. But the teachers keep up with their training regularly. They go the Hinche for one week next week for teacher formation.
March 2007 (Gabriel): Besides the second school building which is ready to paint, the cafeteria will be ready soon. We laid the last cement floor last Friday. We will install the door soon. That is another building we will also need to paint.
Moreover, we have started the foundation of the school office. This will go not too fast. I am excited about the building because besides the room for the principal, there will be a room for a secretary, a storage room for school materials and books, a bathroom and two major rooms for a clinic and a library. I can’t wait to see it.
Remember, we are able to do all these because of your contributions. We thank you. We can clearly see our financial needs are improved a little bit.
The kids singing to visitors from Virginia Tech.
Visitors from Virginia Tech teach English to the Haitian kids.
May 2007 (Brother Cos): Now that the four new classrooms are complete, classes are no longer held in the small storage rooms of the community building. A new building has been started, which will contain rooms for the principal, a school nurse, a secretary and a library. There will also be a bathroom with a shower.
As we were walking to the school we passed a woman with several children getting buckets of water. Gabriel explained that families who cannot pay the full tuition can donate 40 hours of work to the school--this can be carrying water, moving rocks, cleaning the grounds or working in the sugar cane field. These chores are done in the evening after work or school. One of the school watchmen is there to record the number of hours worked.
Gabriel and I walked around the area and he showed me land he has acquired for future building. On a small hill he hopes to build a church with a rectory, and in another location a clinic and guesthouse to bring medical care to the area. He also has plans for a vocational school so that students do not have to go to Pignon, Hinche or Port-au-Prince to learn the skills to support themselves.
On Thursday morning we returned to the school where I attended a teachers meeting. Among issues discussed were how many children to admit next year.
The teachers would like to enroll 50 more students. Gabriel wanted 30, so they compromised at 40, with more discussion at the next meeting. Also considered was the possibility of having the children come to school earlier next year for a breakfast of bread, peanut butter and juice. The teachers also asked if they could be provided with bicycles. Since most of them are still attending secondary school at Pignon in the afternoon, this would facilitate their travel. They estimated that US$1000 would buy eight bikes.
The auditorium is under construction. The children here will gather in large groups for prayer services, plays and more.