The average Haitian has less than 5 years of schooling. We’re working to change that.
Do you know our friend Pastor Oville? If you’ve been with us a while, you might. Oville Wilzer was born in Haiti into a family that didn’t know God. An invitation to youth group led him to hear a sermon about God’s plan for salvation that touched him so deeply, he accepted Christ that very day.
The preacher was Pastor Jean Edmund, founder of the Cross International-supported network of Divine Shelter Schools (DSS). Through Pastor Jean, Oville was offered a teaching job at a DSS school and encouraged to become a minister.
Here I am Lord, send me
In 2011, when God called Pastor Oville to leave the city for remote Boukan Kare and lead an earthquake-damaged church and school serving poor local children, he and his wife knew they must go.
In 2016, the school was incorporated into the DSS network. This means the school, and Pastor Oville, dedicates itself to the threefold mission of nurturing minds, nourishing bodies and evangelizing souls.
Together, we are changing the world
Pastor Oville continues to be a strong spiritual leader and educator in Boukan Kare. With your generous giving, Pastor Oville and the community of Boukan Kare got a brand new school building in the summer of 2018. Since then, we’ve been able to equip it with a kitchen, benches and tables for the preschool. That first year, enrollment increased from 229 to 401 students with a passing rate of 85%. Despite violent protests and serious civil unrest, transformation is happening in Haiti! Amen!
But there is still more to do.
A new school is just a building unless you invest in the operations.
From feeding programs and hiring trained, quality teachers, the support of ongoing needs across all 13 schools in the DSS network is critical. The school depends on this support so that the full financial burden does not fall on the students, who cannot afford to pay more than a small tuition.
Over 4,000 eager minds start class on September 9th, and we want to provide them with the tools they need to become capable society-contributing adults. When a child is given opportunity, the possibilities are endless.
It’s been a joy to watch the fruit of our DDS partnership through Pastor Oville’s life, from an unbelieving young boy to a world-changer. And the cycle of change continues: his daughter is a student at the newly completed school.
Our mission is to transform Haiti materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ. We believe education develops an individual more so than any other kind of international development intervention. We pray you’ll join us in this mission.
