El Shammah High School in Williamson opened its doors in September, 2009, to fifty 7th and 8th graders. This fall (2010) we will be adding a 9th grade. El Shammah means “God is Here” in Hebrew, and we know that without Him, the school would not exist. The school is part of the House of Hope’s mission to provide Christian and secular education for the children at the House of Hope as they grow, as well as for other children in the community. The opportunity to attend an affordable secondary school is extremely rare in this region of Haiti, and the El Shammah school is helping to meet that critical need. A small fee of $25 per year is charged per student, in order for the students and their families to value the educational opportunity; however, the fee is low enough that children who would normally not be able to afford school can attend. The House of Hope provides the funding for the rest of the school’s costs, and is currently looking for additional donations to contribute toward these costs. We hope to continue to add one grade per year to provide a complete education for the students.

      Some of the students attending are as old as 18. It is not uncommon for students to be much older than what we would expect in America, because the opportunity to attend school continuously has not been available to many. You can sponsor a student for $20 per month.