Parents demand promised Haitian government funds to help enroll children in school

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Before gangs forced Valine Saint-Juillet’s family out of their home on Avenue N  downtown, the single mom ran a small cosmetics business that allowed her to put her daughter through elementary school. But three days before school was set to begin on Oct. 1, Saint-Juillet still had no idea whether the 11-year-old would be attending classes. 

Worried and desperate, Saint-Juillet joined a group of 15 parents outside the headquarters of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) on Monday to demand help. Together, they urged the authorities to provide financial subsidies to displaced families for kids to attend school. 

“Up until now, I still haven’t bought a notebook for my child because I am still behind on school fees,” said Saint-Juillet, 39, who now lives in a displaced-persons camp in Bourbon.

“I hope to receive the subsidy we were promised so the children can go to school—that’s what matters most to me,” she said.

Like Saint-Juillet, many parents still don’t know where to turn to ensure their children can return to class, prompting the calls for the money—about $770—the government promised back in May to help them resettle. Heavily armed gangs have reshaped the capital with their marauding tactics, destroying downtown markets—such as Hyppolite, Guérite, Croix-des-Bossales and La Saline—that thousands of small vendors relied on to support their families. With the markets now burned or rendered inaccessible, many have been forced to find new ways to earn a living and to urge the government to step up.

“Even if the school year is set for October 1, 2026, we parents will still never be ready because the informal economy, where we could make a living, has been completely destroyed,” said Stéphane Désir, 37, who has one daughter.

Parents desperate for help with school

A resident of the Turgeau area, Désir used to sell soft drinks at the Lycée Anténor Firmin, a space that now shelters people displaced by violence in the capital, especially those fleeing from Carrefour-Feuilles. Her customers were students, teachers, and school administrators. Even when she had to sell on credit to clear her stock, she worked hard to meet her needs.

A single mother, Désir and her daughter now rely on Désir’s mother, who sells fritay, fried street food.

“The parents are left empty-handed,” said Désir. “All the places where we used to earn a little money are destroyed, completely burned down or now sheltering displaced people.”

For parents who have taken refuge in displacement camps after fleeing gang violence, it is sheer despair. They have not only lost their homes and livelihoods but now live in precarious sanitary conditions, wondering how they can keep their children in school. Movement for these heads of household is largely confined to Delmas, Pétion-Ville and parts of Tabarre.

Outside the capital, parents are also worried about the looming school start date as the security situation continues to deteriorate widely. In several provinces and municipalities, including Mirebalais, Saut-d’Eau, and Cabaret, schools and markets have been forced to close, depriving thousands of children and families of essential services. Small business owners, unable to protect their properties, see their local economies collapse under the pressure of criminal groups.

Marc Adley Malebranche, a father of four, was also at the Sep. 29 protest, a sit-in in the CPT offices’ reception area to denounce the Haitian government’s treatment of displaced parents, which they called neglectful. 

Malebranche had led a modest life in Savane Pistache, Carrefour-Feuilles as a real estate agent, but lost everything—his home, his job and his car. Unable to pay for rental housing, he was forced to return to a camp. He sees no hope for his children this school year, unless the government acts. 

“We can no longer pay for school, not even the entrance fees or partial payments to have our child accepted, we simply cannot afford it,” said Malebranche. “If today we are asking the government to think of us, it’s because we can no longer manage on our own.”

Back-to-school plans face triple setbacks

The school year is beginning under extremely difficult conditions as the country faces gang violence a decline in academic achievement and a displaced schoolchildren population. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 1,600 schools—burned, abandoned, or deserted due to gang threats—have ceased operating since April, leaving more than 243,000 children without access to education.

A single institution, such as Lycée Horatius Laventure, now accommodates up to four schools, while Collège Théophile Pierre d’Haïti hosts three, including Lycée Daniel Fignolé. School principals say this situation falls far short of acceptable standards for quality education.

“Enrollments have dropped because many students used to come from Lower Delmas, Solino, and the neighborhoods of Cité Soleil to attend the school, but insecurity now prevents them from traveling,” Carnol Anelas, the director of Lycée Daniel Fignolé, said.

The director of Lycée Anténor Firmin, Jean Madsen Désire, said his student body— typically based in neighborhoods like Carrefour-Feuilles, Debussy, and Pacot—has been displaced by gang attacks. 

Last academic year, the impact of insecurity and the forced displacement of families was strongly felt in the results of official exams. The national pass rate for 2024-2025 stands at 44.96%, with 42,466 candidates admitted out of 94,461 participants, down from the 2023-2024 pass rate of 49.42%.

In the West department, where insecurity worsens daily, the pass rate was only 40.68%. Out of 41,537 registered students, 39,195 actually took the exams, and only 15,945 passed. This means that 2,342 students were absent on exam day.

In July, Antoine Augustin, head of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP),  said the school system in Haiti was completely “destroyed.” He said when 120,000 candidates registered for the baccalaureate, if 50,000 pass, “it is reason enough to celebrate.”

“The school [system] as we know it, with all its structural problems, is destroyed,” said Augustin. “The Haitian education system does not work. We are only managing the post-disaster aftermath.”

No alleviation in sight for the schools 

CPT representatives, who were inside their offices during the sit-in, did not address the parents’ demands on Monday. Nor did they return requests for comments about the 100,000 gourdes they promised to people displaced by violence.

Over the last week, several members of the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF) and CARICOM have publicly expressed support for a 5,500-member force “Gang Suppression Force” in Haiti to replace the current Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS).

The Haitian government fully backs this initiative and is calling on the international community to act swiftly to curb violence in the country. CPT President Laurent Saint-Cyr emphasized during his speech at the 80th UN General Assembly in New York that failure to defeat the gangs in Haiti would make it an illusion to believe their networks could be contained across the Americas.

“Every day, innocent lives are lost to bullets, fire, and fear,” said Saint-Cyr. “Entire neighborhoods vanish, forcing over a million people into internal displacement and destroying memories, investments, and infrastructure.

“Here is the face of Haiti today: A country at war, a contemporary Guernica, a human tragedy at the doorstep of the Americas, just four hours away by plane.”

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