Women & Girls’ Empowerment through Education
The Haitian Project has been dedicated to girls’ education and empowerment since it opened Louverture Cleary School. Since then, Louverture Cleary School has graduated hundreds of young women who have gone on to university and professional careers IN HAITI where they earn 10x the country’s per capita income.
Read some of their stories here.
Pursuing Equal Access to Education
The cost of most private school tuition and the limited availability of public education in Haiti mean that many families cannot afford to send all of their children to school. Due to cultural biases about gender, boys are more likely to be enrolled in school and granted job opportunities while girls are often relegated to working in the home.
Having fewer female applicants to pull from, in 1996 the Louverture Cleary student body was only 15 percent female. The Haitian Project leadership addressed this disparity by implementing an affirmative action policy ensuring that at least 40 percent of each incoming class was female.
Within only a few years, it became far less necessary to adjust the acceptance process. Word spread in greater Port-au-Prince about the success of Louverture Cleary female alumni, and biases began to change. More girls applied to Louverture Cleary School each year and, since 2006, the student body has been over 50 percent female.
Building Confidence & Breaking Barriers
Louverture Cleary students receive formation that encourages them to be leaders and change-makers in their communities. Female students in particular are instilled with the confidence to pursue their goals after graduation and defy the biases that have historically kept women in Haiti from achieving political or economic equality.
Through weekend retreats led by an all-women crew of faculty, staff and older students, Louverture Cleary’s Celebrate Women program provides lessons and activities where female students speak with role models, develop confidence, and encourage each other. Students also witness women in various leadership positions on campus every day, including the school’s principal and the director of operations, normalizing female leadership and women’s professional success for both male and female students.
Female Alumni Spotlights
Here are some recent profiles on a few of the many LCS female students and alumni breaking down barriers and building a brighter future for themselves, their families and their country:
Linsey Francesca J.
Whether navigating the COVID-19 pandemic or some of the other difficulties that have challenged Haiti in recent years, many Louverture Cleary School Alumni can be found on the frontlines, leading initiatives for positive change for their country.
One such alumna is Linsey Francesca J. (LCS ’13), who has dedicated herself to the study of medicine.
Jesula T.
Since her time as a Louverture Cleary School student, Jesula T. (LCS ’07) appreciated what set her school apart from others. Today as she reflects on her goals and impact, it is clear that she is driven by Louverture Cleary’s mission of creating a brighter future for her country.