Concept
Pastor Samedy presented the idea of opening a school in Canaan to Significance of One directors Michael and Marcy Rowley to help alleviate the problem of the lack of local schools in Canaan. Three years ago, Samedy's idea was put into motion. Samedy, along with Elevating Christian Ministries (“ECM") and Michael and Marcy were able to begin the first phase of Grace School of Canaan. In the first year, the school served 42 students in grades Pre-K to 4th. Many of these students would not have had an opportunity to attend school if it were not for Grace School of Canaan being built because Canaan is a very impoverished area. The average daily earning is $1.50 per week.
The school has continued to be a service to the community and God had been working in the hearts of Michael and Marcy, along with Brandon Lauck, a newly added director of Significance of One. They listened to God’s direction and The Significance of One was incorporated as a 501c3 charitable organization. The Significance of One’s goal in Canaan is to provide a Christ-centered education and nutrition for the students, as well as empower and build the community within Canaan. In 2018, The Significance of One partnered with Pastor Samedy to develop a sponsorship program to give more children in Canaan the opportunity to receive this Christ-centered education. Along with the sponsorship program, Significance of One and Pastor Samedy have partnered with ECM to provide daily nutrition for the students through ECM's bread program. More information about the program can be found here.
Significance of One's goal for the 2018-2019 school year is to have at least 100 students sponsored – which means 100 or more students being fed daily and being served and educated through the love of Christ.
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EDUCATION IN HAITI
Getting an education in Haiti is very different from getting an education in the US. Although public education does exist in Haiti, it mostly exists in urban areas where schools suffer from low funding and lack of qualified teachers. Haiti’s literacy rate is less than 60% – well below the 90% average for Latin American and Caribbean countries. The Haitian government has said they are committed to making education a priority, but the results have been minimal to date.
Because of this, only 10% of schools in Haiti are run by the government. All other schools are foreign or church run organizations with funding coming from outside the country. Primary schools have an enrollment rate of less than 90%, but secondary school enrollment rate drops to below 30%. The “private” schools come with a cost, which most Haitians find difficult to afford. It is not uncommon to have a secondary school graduate be in their early to mid-20s since most families can only afford to send their children to school on a part time basis.
Significance of One seeks to help remedy the problem of education affordability through the sponsorship of children in Canaan allowing them to receive a Christ-centered education at Grace School of Canaan.