MULTIPLE CRISES CONTINUE IN HAITI
THE JULY 2021 EARTHQUAKE, CRIME WAVES, AND RECENT STORMS CONTRIBUTE TO DEVASTATION

The 2021/2022 years are pivotal for Timkatec Schools

Timkatec feeds and educates over 500 of the poorest of the poor while the nation's ills continue. In the last 2 years, Haiti has suffered a huge crime wave, the assassination of its President, hurricanes, floods, and a massive earthquake—all while COVID 19 adds further misery and devastates its already weak economy. Many thousands lost their lives, thirty thousand were injured by these natural and man-made disasters, and more than a hundred thousand became homeless; Timkatec schools have been greatly affected by these same events.

• Haitian schools were closed for several months in 2020 and 2021 due to rioting and the COVID 19 Global Pandemic
• Food and material costs have soared due to 500% inflation
• Over 100 boys and 120 of Timkatec's girls have been unable to continue their education due to the dangers of daily life in Haiti

However, despite recent events, there is still hope for 2021/2022.

• Timkatec is in its 27th year of educating the poorest of the poor, and 17 years since it started trade training.
• Timkatec schools are well built and owned outright, keeping costs down
• Timkatec has added Air Conditioning Maintenance, Computer Science, and Tile Flooring work to the training schedule

In his 2021 Academic report, Father Simon congratulated 130 students completing their Electrician, Plumber, Mason, Culinary Arts, and Tailor vocational training.

The costs to train our students to State Standards are less than $300 per year, and after 2 years they have the ability to earn a living. Timkatec training school provides one of the few opportunities that offers Haitian youth hope for their futures, something denied most in this poverty stricken nation. But without much-needed funding, the continued success of Timkatec is in question.

Timkatec's primary expenses are teacher salaries (less than 10% of a teacher salary in the United States), materials (tools and equipment for the vocational training), and the cost of the simple daily meal of beans and rice for the students.

Timkatec may be able to bring some students back into the classroom to finish the 2021-22 Academic year if funding is made available immediately. However, spending the limited funds to increase the numbers in the short term runs the risk of Timkatec running out of funds before the Class of 2022 can graduate.

• Since early 2020, Timkatec has lost 200 students. Many students whose only daily meal was provided by the school dropped out when the school canteen had to be closed for several months due to lack of funding for simple foodstuffs
• While there is space for 740 across all three facilities, Timkatec currently only has the funds to support 541 students
• Timkatec 3 Girls School had increased capacity to 296 day students. However in 2021, only 194 girls registered and almost half that number were forced to drop out
• The Timkatec 3 shelter now has room for 70 nightly. However, it can only take 20 girls and no boys due to lack of available funds to provide meals
• The third story addition at Timkatec 2 increased capacity to 327. Again, shortage of funds limited registration to 239 students including in the new courses—well short of full capacity
• Timkatec 1, the Primary school and orphanage/boarding school is close to its 115 capacity with 110 students, 45 boarders and 63 day students

Patrick O'Shea at Timkatec 1 Orphanage

Timkatec Schools could train and educate 740 young people in a time of desperate need in Haiti. But increasing lack of funding for teachers, food, tools and basic needs, means Timkatec only shelters, feeds, and educates about 500 students. 200 additional young Haitians could be receiving meals, basic medical care, and education in a trade which will change their lives forever. Now, those 200 boys and girls instead suffer extreme poverty, and often must leave their homes and live on the street—or worse.

A gift of $280 will educate a student for one year, while $560 funds a two year apprenticeship, to change a life forever.

If we could raise $50,000 more, we could add almost 200+ places, and operate the schools at their full student capacity for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year.

Please, be generous.

Sincerely yours,

The O'Shea and Spinelli families
Founders of The Friends of Timkatec

POPE FRANCIS AND TIMKATEC

In both 2016 and 2017, Father Simon, Founder of Timkatec, was invited to the Vatican as an individual who has made "street children" their pastoral mission. Pope Francis made a powerful expression of his concern for children and women forced to live on the streets, and personally met each attendee.

Father, now 89 years old, was unable to travel and Ms Aniath Vevenne Mathurin in 2017 and Ms Rachelle Fleurimond in 2016, Coordinators for the three Timkatec Schools, Orphanage, and Shelter, participated in his place. Pope Francis has shown his support for Timkatec and begs you to do so also.

Read the full story, including video of the pope's address, here.