Beneficiaries: 150 young people
Estimated completion date: December 2025
Country: Haiti
Executive summary
In Haiti, many families experience economic challenges due to recent natural disasters, political instability, the COVID-19 pandemic and a long history of socio-economic instability. The country is still recovering from the 2010 earthquake that is widely regarded as one of the most devastating natural disasters in recorded history.
The economic challenges faced by many Haitians often make it difficult for young people to pursue higher education or find vocational training opportunities. Although some programs are available to young people, these training programs often lack vital resources and are not relevant to the current job market, which desperately needs workers in the trades, information technology and culinary sectors.
Compassion’s frontline church partner in Anse-a-Galets identified the need for more training opportunities and has already begun to offer programs in music, tiling, plumbing and sewing at the beginner’s level. However, staff at the Anse-a-Galets centre want to offer more to the students who attend their program.
With your support, our church partner in Anse-a Galets will establish a certified vocational school to train 150 young men and women between the ages of 18 and 22 with life skills and training in a subject that interests them and is in demand in the local job market. Students will be enrolled in cooking and baking, construction trades, information technology and electric welding based on their previous experience, skills and interests. Your generous support will help young people receive the training they need to find work in Haiti and become self-sufficient. When young people are able to use their skills and work close to home, entire communities are impacted.
Summary
Background
Compassion has been working alongside frontline church partners to provide young people with higher education and training for several years in Haiti. While many young men and women desire to continue their education, the high cost of tuition often means that families already struggling to survive simply cannot afford it.
In 2015, the Haitian government began working towards providing more young people with technical vocational training opportunities. Although their goal was 70,000 participants, only 23,000 students had access to training. Due to a lack of opportunities and access to resources, many young people choose to leave the country—often risking their lives to do so. Young Haitians often have no other choice but to leave their homes—according to data from the International Organization of Migration, there are about 2 million people included in the Haitian diaspora. Those who cannot find work in Haiti mostly end up in the Dominican Republic, Canada, the United States, Brazil, Chile and other areas of South America, where their lives and rights may be at risk.
Currently, Compassion’s National Office in Haiti is implementing several construction interventions, some of which could be completed by the participants themselves if they had the skills. Once young people are equipped with the vocational skills they need through this intervention, they could practise their skills by carrying out work on some of these interventions.
The need
All young people strive for economic independence. But when resources and opportunities are scarce, they must often leave their homes or continue to face the cycle of poverty. Young people in Haiti face a bleak future, with high unemployment and lack of training opportunities to gain skills.
Compassion’s church partner in Anse-a Galets,on the island of La Gonave in Haiti, wants to establish a vocational school and offer quality training opportunities in high-demand fields to young men and women so that they can become self-sufficient and able to remain in their own communities. The available training programs will last one to two years and will include plumbing, electricity, masonry, tiling, electric welding, window techniques, computer technology and cooking and baking. The local church partner will obtain accreditation from the Ministry of Education and will hire experienced, local and qualified instructors. Subject matter experts will also be hired to provide intensive training and exposure to those who work in their field of study. Students will also be offered workshops on life and business skills. Each participant will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on training that will benefit their community. Upon successful completion of the courses, the management team and instructors will help all successful students find jobs. The church partner will also establish a bakery, where the top-performing students in the bakery course will be invited to work. The 15 best students in construction will be hired to use their skills in construction projects being completed through Compassion Haiti.
What your gift will do
Your gift will help establish a vocational training school that will provide 150 young men and women in Haiti with vocational training and fully equipped classroom spaces, including:
- Classroom and workshop repairs
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Administration office equipment
- Desk
- Chair
- Filing cabinet
- Desktop computer
- Printer
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Materials for classroom and practical training
- Plumbing
- Electricity
- Masonry
- Window techniques
- Tiling
- Cooking and baking
- Computer technology
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Salary for administrative staff
- Administrator
- Accountant/Secretary
- Logistics/Storage keeper
- Teacher/Trainer fees for 24 months
- Implementer contractor fees
- Meals
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Bakery construction and materials
- Oven
- Dough mixer and electric mixer
- Bread slicer
- Goods display
- Iron storage
- Money booth
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rolling pins
- Delivery motorcycles
Logistics
- Local contribution: US$503.29
- Handling of funds: Compassion Haiti will work with the Centre director and the management team overseeing this initiative to ensure this intervention stays within budget.
- Monitoring and follow-up: A management team will be put into place to manage the vocational school. The team will focus on developing comprehensive curricula that meet the needs of the students and the demands of the job market. Centre staff and church leaders will follow up on the participants’ progress and provide support and encouragement where needed.