ECOLE C.E.A.L opened its doors after the earthquake that ravaged Haiti on January 12, 2010.

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A magnitude 7.0 earthquake that ravaged Haiti on the afternoon of January 12, 2010, is what made us come up with this platform. The earthquake was one more disaster in a country that had suffered from decades of political and economic setbacks. Its consequences are not unknown to anyone. Leogane was one of the cities that suffered the most, where many died, and properties were destroyed. It resulted in traumatizing the innocent souls of kids of the community. To overcome this problem, a concerned nurse, France Remy, came up with different ways to divert the children's attention from the destruction, disease, and hunger around them.

 

Nurse Remy and some other community leaders started offering recreational activities to raise the children's spirits and give them a reason to live. Those activities included soccer, storytelling, educational classes, etc. Soon, Nurse France realized that some of the kids could not participate in certain activities due to their disabilities. There were no institutions available that could accommodate their special needs. This is when Ecole C.E.A.L. started in 2011 with just five students with the two primary goals

 

• Teaching kids the alphabets in sign language so that they can spell their names and other basic words

• Teach them numbers so that they can learn the phone numbers in case of emergency.

 

Once we started making progress, more parents started to trust us and sent their children to Ecole C.E.A.L. The demand got a little overwhelming, and our makeshift tents and limited supplies were not adequate, so we moved to an actual building in 2015. After that, we never stopped and are continuously growing. Now, we have about 88 students, three classrooms, a dining hall, and a yard for them to play. We offer nutritional programs, various recreational activities, church services, and summer camps and plan to start our apprenticeships programs to give our kids professional knowledge.

 

Over the years, small donors and N.G.O.s have helped us keep the program going, but now it is becoming a challenge to accommodate the growing demand. But we are optimistic about the future and proud of all the things we have achieved despite the harsh conditions.

 

From a refugee camp to forming a proper institute is no less than a blessing, but we need your support to cater to Haiti's overwhelming demand and achieve our goals, which is not possible without your help.

 

 

 

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