How One Organization of Haitian-American Youth is Helping Haiti’s Literacy Rate

Haitian Americans United For Progress office in Little Haiti, Brooklyn. Photo Credit: Garry Pierre-Pierre

By Carlotta Mohamed

In the steep remote mountain towns of Masson—a locality between Carrefour and Laboule 12 — and Sarazin— on the outskirts of Morne L’Hopital, a commune of Port-au-Prince—there is no electricity, no running water, nor a sanitation system. Labeled as the “forgotten villages,” living miles away from modernization, parents are unable to provide basic living necessities or send their children to school. That is, until the Love and Serve Haiti (LASH) mission made it possible by cultivating an educational and cultural learning experience for children in Masson and Sarazin and Haitian Americans living in the United States.

LASH is a mobile project spearheaded by Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP), a nonprofit based in Queens, NY. The organization supports the schooling of some 670 children in Masson and Sarazin. Prior to the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, LASH was involved in improving the lives of Haitian children and families living in extreme poverty, according to Elsie Saint-Louis, executive director of HAUP.

TO READ FULL STORY

Haitian Times’ Subscription, Billed Monthly

Haitian Times’ Subscription, Billed Yearly

One month access

About
Latest Posts

Haitian Times

The Haitian Times was founded in 1999 as a weekly English language newspaper based in Brooklyn, NY.The newspaper is widely regarded as the most authoritative voice for Haitian Diaspora.