Most children work hard in class, because so many families must make great sacrifices to pay for their education.

The Tierney-Tobin Memorial Scholarship Program
Founded in 1997

Haiti is the poorest country in our hemisphere. Due to the lack of public schools and extreme poverty, only 60% of Haitian children attend school. This is solely a problem of economics; parents do not have the means to pay private school tuitions for their children. There is very little government-funded education, and only 20% of the children who do go to school can attend government schools. Everyone else must pay for a private school education or stay at home.

Haitians understand the value of education; they realize that education is likely their best way out of poverty. Haitian children know that education is a privilege and are proud to wear their school uniforms. You will never find a child skipping school in Haiti! Most families make tremendous sacrifices to send their children to school; many go without meals, work dusk to dawn in the marketplaces, and live in desperately cramped quarters so they can save money. Even with these sacrifices it is often not enough to pay for the 14 consecutive years of schooling necessary for a student to finish high school. Only 5% of the children who start school will finish.

At Haitian Ministries, we know that sponsoring a child's education is an investment with tremendous returns and one that helps that child become an independent adult with the skills and knowledge to work and support his or her family. Education provides hope for the future of Haiti.

We are currently sending almost 100 children and young adults to school with the commitment that, if he or she continues to work hard and perform well, we will support their studies through secondary school, possibly college. All are students wh not be able to go to school without your support.

What the Tierney-Tobin program provides:

• Tuition: We provide full tuition scholarships, paying for enrollment fees and monthly payments.
• Books: We loan the necessary books to students for all of their classes. At the end of the year, students return the books so that they can be used the following year.
• Student/Parent Administrative Support: We follow the students carefully to make sure that they are keeping up with their courses and meeting our grade requirements. We ask that students keep above average grades and will remove children that can not maintain these standards. We also meet regularly with parents to encourage them to take an active role in supporting their children's study - helping with homework and reading with the child.

How you can make a difference:

You can choose to sponsor a student with a pledge, or you can make a one-time gift. to the Tierney-Tobin program. All gifts are deeply appreciated! 

The costs of sponsoring a student are as follows:

• $370 US to sponsor a primary school student for one year of a five-year pledge. (This would be a total of $1,850 in payments that could be made monthly, quarterly, annually, or at one time.)
• $450 US to sponsor a secondary school student for one year of a five-year pledge. (This would be a total of $2,250 in payments that could be made monthly, quarterly, annually, or at one time.)
• $700 US to sponsor for a technical school student for one year (for a one- to three-year pledge). The total various, depending on the duration of the technical education.

Wilkens Gilbert is a former Tierney-Tobin scholarship recipient who went to medical school and is now a doctor practicing in Haiti. He hopes one day to open a clinic in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood where he grew up and where his mother, Madame Samson, runs a meal program for children. (That food program is also supported by Haitian Ministries.) Currently, there is only one doctor for every 10,000 Haitians.

If you are interested in supporting the Tierney-Tobin Memorial Scholarship program, please fill out the donor form, which you will find below by clicking the orange "You Can Help" bar. If you would like more information, please contact Emily Smack or Kyn Tolson at info@haitianministries.org, or by calling: 860.848.2237 ext. 206.