Arcahaie / Ecole Classique Bon Samariain – Renovations

“What the earthquake has done to us, besides breaking buildings and killing much of the population, it has wiped out many of those who were the future leaders of the country”

Louis Hern Marcelin

The New York Times: 02.14.2010

Educators in Haiti face the daunting task of rebuilding Haiti’s school system……a system that had been broken well before the earthquake.

With the exception of several high-profile parochial schools, most schools were overcrowded and lacking in books and resources. Global education experts say there weren’t many qualified teachers in the country. Before the Jan 12th earthquake, just more than half of school-aged children attended school. Two percent of the overall population completed high school.

Now many of the schoolhouses have to be rebuilt from scratch. “This may be one of the most important challenges for this country. Education is the key to putting children at the center of the transformation of Haiti”…….            Kent Page/UNICEF.

The Ecole Classique Bon Samarian (ECBS), is located within the village of Digue Matheux, along the Rivier Matheux and within the Duvalier Ville – Arcahaie District. The village of Digue Matheux has approximately 3,500 Haitians living presently, however, that number is increasing daily as resettlement camps are becoming ever more populated.

The ECBS restoration project was begun by Signa Enterprises in the Fall of ’09 and was completed in Dec.’09. The project was able to coordinate the initial material donations from UNICEF, along with school furnishings donated by the Miami Public Schools System, so as to be able to provide the 300 ECBS students a safe learning environment for the future.

Before the ECBS restoration, 300 students and teachers shared 8 classrooms, typically sitting on unfinished concrete floors, looking at rough grey concrete walls, with no furnishings or chairs. Structurally, the two-story school was unsafe and plans were being made for additional levels to be built. With the engineering and construction expertise of Signa Enterprises SA., concrete block walls were re-enforced, stairwells were enclosed, leaking roofing was corrected, finished white stucco walls were applied and an additional third story staircase was added for safe access to the roof for solar panels. Each classroom now has school desks, teacher’s tables and blackboards, along with books and individual school supplies for each student.

It is the intent of Signa Enterprises SA to be able to assist with further school restoration and or new constructions throughout Haiti.