Jean Pierre Deristil, “Jeff” Could Be The Next President of Haiti!

Story by Paula Lanson

Each year when we visit Port Au Prince, Haiti, Haitian Outreach volunteers get to spend time with the neighbor kids. Jeannette and Bob are Jeff’s Haitian Outreach sponsors, but Jeff has wormed his way into all of our hearts. Jeff was born 07/02/2000 and is 20 years old. He is in the 9th grade = HS1 (high school-1st year). He started school at age 4 but, after the earthquake, economic down-turn and inflation, Jeff’s mom, a single parent, couldn’t afford full tuition, uniform and books so Jeff didn’t attend school for many years.

Jeff entered the Haitian Outreach program and he was given a” hand up” with partial school tuition, and a backpack filled with school supplies and other essentials each year. Families have to provide the balance of tuition. Jeff’s mom earned money as a seamstress until her old sewing machine broke. It could not be repaired. Unlike the United States, families don’t have credit cards to purchase items when they don’t have cash or savings. The broken sewing machine has made life very difficult for the family. Jeff, as many others in Haiti, is always hungry. Food is very expensive in Haiti. As Jeff knows, sometimes you can’t pay for both food and school.

Paula had the privilege of visiting Jeff’s home on one of the mission trips with Haitian Outreach. Jeff, his mother, 2 aunts, one grandmother and 2 cousins all share a small 2 room dwelling, without windows or running water, in an area called “Community Housing”.

At that time, Paula met Jeff’s family. Jeff’s great grandmother (now deceased) was the same age as her own mom-84. Jeff’s grandmother was the same age as Paula-62; Jeff’s mom was the same age as one of Paula’s daughters-36 and Jeff was the same age as Paula’s grandson-16. She saw Jeff’s great grandmother sitting on a hard-plastic resin white chair without a cushion. She looked so uncomfortable and complained about aches and pains.

Paula thought about her own mother sitting in her comfortable lift-chair in a large sunny apartment in Massachusetts. This contrast was not a coincidence and deeply affected her. God wanted this family to touch Paula's loving heart in a way that she could relate this experience to her own family. Most families in Haiti have nothing to compare their lives to except with they see on social media; we in civilized countries see a different side of the reality. There are no safety nets in Haiti.

At 20, Jeff is the man of the house. He understands the importance of getting an education. Jeff wants to stay in school, study English and after graduation go on to study building electricity at a local trade school. Currently, Jeff and 2 other neighborhood boys are working with a privately paid English teacher, to become proficient in speaking English. This effort is in addition to his regular classical studies and shows his drive to be better for himself and his family.

The national language is Haitian Creole and French. The children are taught French in school, but to speak English, is a must to be able to secure employment in Haiti. Many of our students speak three languages when they graduate from high school. This is a great asset for their future. Through the wonder of the internet, “What’s App”, I am able to get regular video updates on the Jeff’s progress to learn English. Someday, as the volunteers who meet Jeff say “Jean Pierre Deristil, with a good education you could be president”

KEY EDUCATION CHALLENGES IN HAITI 2020 UPDATE

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), churches, communities and for‐profit operators privately manage more than 85 percent of primary schools.

Low enrollment: Primary school enrollment is roughly 85 percent – an improvement from earlier years but still low.
The average Haitian, age 25 years or older, has less than five years of schooling.
School fees can be prohibitively expensive for low-income families.
Poor literacy rates: A U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) early grade reading assessment:
1. revealed that roughly 75 percent of children at the end of first grade and nearly half of students finishing second, grade could not read a single word.
2. further, only 61 percent of the adult population is literate.
Lack of government oversight: Most schools in Haiti receive minimal government oversight and are expensive relative to average earnings.
Shortage of qualified teachers: Half of public sector teachers in Haiti lack basic qualifications and almost 80 percent of teachers have not received any pre‐service training.

According to USAID (https://www.usaid.gov/documents/1862/usaidhaiti-education-fact-sheet-january-2020),