At the Greta Home and Academy in Haiti, children are receiving an education that is changing their futures and impacting the country.
by Jessica Langevin, who worked as a Samaritan’s Purse intern in Haiti
The day begins bright and early in Léogâne, Haiti, as 71 children wake up and begin preparing for school. After making their beds and getting dressed, the children living at the Greta Home and Academy eat breakfast and go to devotions. They sing songs, read from the Bible, and say the pledge to their national flag all before the bell rings at 7:30 a.m. The school currently teaches kindergarten through sixth grade for the children living at the Greta Home; however, this fall we will add 50 students, all from the surrounding community of Léogâne. They will not only attend classes but also will go to devotions and lunch each day with the children living at the home.
Attending school is something not every child in Haiti gets to experience. Fewer than half of the children in Haiti attend school. Children have dreams of careers and a successful future, but they need someone to believe in them and provide the opportunity to succeed. Here at the Greta Home and Academy, dreams of attending school are coming to fruition.
One first grade student, 9-year-old Love Maillie, understands that going to school is a privilege and works hard in her studies. Love Maillie enjoys studying English, baking cakes in the kitchen, and playing with dolls. Her favorite activity is going to school so she can learn new things. This year she is a Greta Academy success story. She had the best grade in her class and received a prize for her achievement. Due to her hard work and excellence in her class, she will be able to skip a grade and enter into the third grade in the fall.
Doing her homework and making good grades is more than just a prize for Love Maillie. For her, it is the chance and start of a better life and future in her country. Through her classes, teachers, caretakers, and hard work, she can grow up to be anything she dreams, giving God the glory for all He does in and through her life. Our hope is that through a Christian education at the Greta Academy, students like Love Maillie will grow not only in their academics, but in their relationship with God. We desire for each of them to be the future leaders of Haiti, taking the values and Godly principles they have learned at the Greta Academy into their communities and their country.
It is with this vision at the forefront of our minds that we start each day at the Greta Academy. While it may seem like another school day, to these children, teachers, and staff, it is a small but significant step in change: educating a generation prepared to be the Godly difference in their community and in their world.