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The increase in the number of schools that do not comply with the Ministry of Education's operating standards has hindered the work of professionals who, since the end of the last century, have been striving to provide young people with a comprehensive education.
In Haiti, a movement known as "Peyi Lòk" (Blocked Country) stands out, involving educators who undertook their own neighborhood-by-neighborhood projects to bring needed educational aid, especially to children.
The strength and resilience of the Haitian people are historically based as, since its independence in 1804, it has had to struggle and overcome not only natural disasters, but also recurrent periods of political instability. The last few years have been particularly difficult in the country due to social movements and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Caribbean country is currently undergoing an acute general crisis affecting all areas.
Under these circumstances, education has been totally neglected. The lack of functionality of state and private organizations, which are unable to reach students with the quality required, is a constant in the country's history.
The Haitian education system is divided into two main groups: public and non-public. Non-public establishments include private, denominational, community schools, among others. The increase in the number of schools that do not comply with the Ministry of Education's operating standards has hindered the work of professionals who, since the end of the last century, have been striving to provide young people with a comprehensive education. It is important to note that in this country, which is characterized by a high illiteracy rate, there is a glaring disparity between schools that cater to the children of the elites and those that cater to children from other social categories. Unlike the former, the latter are generally housed in buildings that do not have the necessary infrastructure to ensure their full development. Thus, in some regions, classes are held in churches, houses and even in the open air.
In view of these disastrous conditions, educators grouped in a movement that became known as "Peyi Lòk" (Blocked Country) undertook their own neighborhood-by-neighborhood projects to bring the necessary educational assistance, especially to children, considering that the first years of life are fundamental for their future.
For this purpose, they have built schools with local resources and in the best of cases they use old warehouses, abandoned buildings, generally in urban areas. The teachers do this out of purely community interest, without receiving salaries or any attention from the authorities. At the beginning, the movement did not receive much attention from the population, but as the country does not manage to get out of the deep crisis and the state cannot provide the necessary assistance, many families, even from the wealthy classes, began to see it as an option. Therefore, this method of providing education became a popular and effective way to help the country overcome the severe crisis that is shaking the country. To understand the magnitude of the effort that teachers put into this work, we must understand that Haiti is the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean, with almost 77% of its citizens living on less than $2 a day and at least 60% of them unemployed or underemployed, with 4.9 million people (43% of the population) who do not have enough to eat.
Practically the country's economy is sustained by aid from international organizations. UNESCO in particular has given some help to the independent teachers' movement by providing them with materials and other types of assistance. Some NGOs also manage, at the neighborhood level, these alternative ways of providing education to the youngest.
Undoubtedly an experience worthy of replication elsewhere, but one that should never happen. Education is the future of any nation.
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