Out of the Rubble
There is a house sitting on a hilltop, it’s walls are tin panels and floor is hard-packed dirt. It’s wooden door, bed, table, all wear signs of long use. This house and the family who lives in it have a story. A story of a destructive earthquake and what emerged after. It’s a place where a family, like countless others five years ago had to start over.
Marie-Ange was holding her then six-month-old son, Marvens, when she felt the ground shake.
“My father said we should stay in the house, but something told me to run outside, which we did. We sat on the hillside here. Marvens looked at me and cried. I wiped the dust from his eyes.”
Their home collapsed but they survived. And thanks to a woman who is rarely at rest they have come out of the dust and wreckage of that day with hope, faith and a drive to make their lives — and the lives of those they love — better.
Marie-Ange works tirelessly for what she cares about. She currently serves as vice-president of the parents committee of the Children’s Academy, was the community coordinator for a program to test a new stove cooking method, and in the past school year volunteered 275 hours at the school.
Like his mother, Marvens is rarely at rest. He moves from one activity to the next with little rest in between. In the rare moments when there is nothing to do, Marvens can be found somersaulting in the yard or making a friend laugh with silly faces. Marvens throws himself into everything with joy.
“My dream is to see a bright future for Marvens and the other kids at the school. I want to see him evolve, learn to speak English, learn to use computers, lots of things.
“I’m always asking him what he wants to be when he grows up. Sometimes he says a doctor, or an engineer. When he gets to that age he’ll be prepared to choose what he wants to be.”
The tin house on a hill testifies to collapse in an earthquake but that is just one part of the story. From there, a woman and her family came out of the rubble and have been working for a better life, and helping to make the Children’s Academy a great place for her son and the whole community.
Matthieu (husband), Marvens, and
Woodjerry in front of their rebuilt home
Each of our partner schools and the Children’s Academy are full of children and parents like this. The teachers and administrators are dedicated and keep improving. The children are studying hard and being respected.
We’re all inspired by these parents like Marie-Ange. And we believe that Marvens is one of many children deserving of a scholarship to be prepared — whether as a doctor, an engineer, or something else — to continue growing into a young man with faith and a future. •
To support students like Marvens and familes like the Augustins, please visit haitipartners.org and become a Scholarship Partner today.
