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Last spring, a Philo (senior) student, Marie*, found out she was pregnant. Shocked and shaken, she told the father. He told her, “do what you want” and then left. Marie courageously chose to continue with the pregnancy and cherish the baby. As a young woman in Haiti, she was scared. As a high school senior, she was already defying the odds and paving the way to a better future—a future with a high school diploma in sight. Her vision of graduating and completing her education began to dwindle.
In most schools in Haiti, especially in the rural areas outside of the city, when a girl gets pregnant, she is asked to leave for the duration of her pregnancy. Oftentimes, returning to school to complete their education is very difficult. Choking back tears, Marie said to the Mission of Hope education office, “I am so scared I will not be able to finish my school year.”
The Mission of Hope school staff told Marie, “Marie, you are welcome here at school. We are not asking you to stay home. If you feel you can come to school, there’s a place for you.” Then the school staff spoke with the students and encouraged them to support Marie, encourage her, and continue to embrace her as a peer and student. Marie gave birth to a healthy baby in May of last year, and she graduated from Mission of Hope in July of 2022!
Madame Flore, the Mission of Hope superintendent and the leader of the Girls Empowerment Program shared, “I was very excited when I have the responsibility to place the graduation medal around her neck on the day of graduation. It was a very meaningful day!”
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Other girls at the school told Madame Flore how incredible it was to see Marie supported and not cast aside. They said it was one of the first times they’d seen that, and it made them have a deeper appreciation for the school leadership, too.
“The first thing a young girl in that situation needs is support. This is Girl’s Empowerment. With our support and the support of her mother, Marie became confident. She did not give up on her dream of education. She had the opportunity to better her life. It’s truly life-changing. I love working with Women’s and Girl’s Empowerment so much. I am thankful that God gives us the opportunity to be useful for His Kingdom.”
Marie’s story is far from over. But we know that with Christ-centered education, rooted confidence and identity in Jesus, and the support of a community, she and her baby have opportunities that they would have not otherwise had.
When you give to Mission of Hope, you play a part in stories just like Marie’s. Your faithful support allows our team to be the hands and feet of Christ, embracing the hurting and extending hope in the midst of difficult circumstances.
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