On Fri Oct 25th the three of us departed for a short weekend trip to the Town of St. Marc (North East of PaP). We were heading to visit the schools tha were built by Dr. Rodrigue Mortel as part of his Mortel Family Foundation (based out of Hershey, PA â Katelynâs hometown). The drive was a little too long but uneventful (thank God, given all of the âsecurityâ talks we received immediately before departing and returning by everyone). We arrived in St. Marc and then the directions we were given failed us because there is always construction work being done (unannounced naturally) in Haiti.
After driving through too crowded and impossibly narrow streets we made our way to the Good Samaritan School and then James Stine College (really a HS). We met with Dr. Mortel, his wife, and several board members and associates. During the tour of the primary school (GS) I couldnât believe how adorable all the kids looked in their school uniform and how well composed and well mannered the majority of them were (not because this was Haiti but because Iâve become accustomed to kids acting a fool all the time). We visited several class sessions and the kids gave impromptu singing performances and interviews.
The school is funded through the Foundation and is of no cost to the parents. We were told of fundraising initiatives taking place in the states and the multiple successes of being awarded large scale grants from Feed the Poor and other well known international organizations. The school provides 2 free meals a day to the students and provides extra-curricular activities as well. Because the school recruits from the slums of St.Marc we were told that the school is often the only support system that these children have (which is understandable).
We next visited the James Stine College, which was built to continue the high level of education that the students from the primary school received. However, Stine is not completely free as the costs associated are too high. There are children who receive scholarships and parents who have a steady source of income are required to pay what they can. The teens here were too hilarious and all the girls wanted to have their pics taken. One thing that I did find weird was that all the students (male and female) would go to the fountains and wet their faces/heads to stay cool (the heat was beyond too much).
Lastly we went for dinner at the Mortelâs home which is located near GS. We had a great meal (there were veggies!) and then enjoyed some much needed chocolates. We were gifted a copy of the latest Mortel Foundation publication and then made our way to Moulin Sur Mer.
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