July 16, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: Public schools provide essential and often life saving services. Unlike here in Virginia, there is no free public education in Haiti. Like many other churches, the Episcopal Church Diocese of Haiti, operates hundreds of schools with the help of wealthier partner churches in the USA.
Grace Episcopal Church, Lexington collaborates with five parishes in Augusta, Rockbridge and Nelson counties to support Ecole Saint Marc, a wonderful K-12 school providing vital life saving services and education for 350 children and the families of 20 teachers and 10 support staff in Cerca la Source, a town in the rural mountainous area near Dominican Republic border.
Approximately $70,000 annually pays all teacher and staff salaries, $190 a month/staff on average. To raise funds, collaborative parishes hold barbecues and bingo nights, individuals make annual pledges averaging $200, and a couple of local foundations make generous grants.
Until March 2025, Mary’s Meals, a Scottish International Relief nonprofit provided an essential hot meal daily to students and staff. For most students, this is the only meal they get and the school cannot operate without this essential daily meal.
Our small collaborative stepped up to pay for meals over the last three months, but we can’t manage to sustain the additional cost without new partners. When school resumes in August it cannot operate for more children than it can feed.
School director Pere Schneyder Couloute has a plan to purchase and prepare supplies for a daily hot meal for all 350 children and 20 staff for $2,832 a month USD. (Spaghetti, anchovies, oil are staple ingredients.) Less than 50 cents per person per school day.
If you or an organization you work might be interested in supporting this effort, please contact me at [email protected] for more details. Small contributions would be appreciated and would save lives.
TUCK BOWERFIND Rector, Grace Episcopal Church
