Patriote de la Zone Annual Report 2024

Letter from the Chair July 2024

Friends of the Patriote de la Zone School-  

This year, with the addition of an 8th grade class, our enrollment swelled to 550 students! This coming September, we will create a 9th grade cohort with students from the 2024 8th grade graduating class. Patriote de la Zone will then be a preK – 9th grade school with an anticipated enrollment of close to 600 students!

A school that was a dream in 2002 of a group of childhood friends from Haiti living in the United States now provides 600 underserved children with a safe place to learn. This school helps them develop the skills necessary to be productive and successful members of their community. That was the vision of the Haitian expats who initially committed their time, effort, and money to building our school. Their efforts have been amplified by the many donors who, over the years, joined their cause and have continued to support the Patriote de la Zone School. Thank you, donors, for your faith and commitment to our school despite the seemingly overwhelming odds confronting our mission.

We know our school is doing important work—delivering education to children during a time in Haiti when there is social and political turmoil. The children we teach are the future of Haiti. In order for the people of Haiti to recover and rebuild their country, they must have hope. In order for their hope to thrive, Haitians need to see that their efforts, however small, are successful. Patriote de la Zone has been extraordinarily successful not only at being a place where children learn but also as a tangible indication to the families and community in the Vergeon Valley that their hopes for their children’s future will be more promising because they have access to an education.

It is hard to overstate the importance Haitians place on education. In a country with an adult literacy rate of just 61%, learning to read and write is seen as a prerequisite to a better life. To our students, their families, and community, this is the real gift that you, our supporters, make possible, and what our school symbolizes to them—the hope for a better future and a better Haiti.

Throughout Haiti and in many Haitian expat communities in the US, May 18th is celebrated as Haitian Flag Day, a celebration of the creation of the Haitian flag in 1803 and a commemoration of the Haitian peoples’ fight for freedom and independence. This year, Patriote de la Zone sponsored a Haitian Flag Day event with parades, music, and activities for our students and their larger community. Like our 4th of July, Haitian Flag Day is a time for Haitians to take pride in their country and reflect on their country’s revolutionary past and its touchstone belief that people should be free. We were glad to be able to support the observance of Haitian Flag Day and provide an opportunity for our students to celebrate their country and have some fun doing so.

We are but one school; however, our school is laying the foundation to significantly improve the lives of over 500 young people every single day. This is an amazing accomplishment and something that Patriote de la Zone has been doing now for over 14 years! As our enrollment expands, your support and donations are more important than ever. We are sincerely grateful to the many donors who have been responsible for making Patriote de la Zone the success it is over these many years. Please know that it is only with your help that we can continue to do the work of providing educational opportunities to children in Haiti.

May 18th Haitian Flag Day

Patriote de la Zone sponsored a celebration of Haitian Flag Day.  Our students and faculty, along with students from other schools, families and members of the valley community came out for a day long celebration commemorating the creation of the Haitian flag in 1803 and Haitians’ fight for fredom and independence.  It was a day of parades, music, and fun as well as an opportunity for the larger community to show pride in their country.

Patriote de la Zone 2023 – 2024 Highlights

• Despite the social unrest in Haiti our school was open and held classes for the entire 2023-2024 academic year.

• Increased the Middle School Program with the addition of an 8th grade class.

• Enrolled 550 students in K – 6th and 7th and 8th grades at the school.

• The PEQH program provided lunches to all 550 of our students in response to our increased enrollment

• Wheeler School held their 11th Hope for Haiti fundraising event continuing their strong support.

• Received continuing support from the parishioners of St. Joseph Parish in Newport, RI

• Sponsored a Haitian Flag Day celebration for the school and its community.

• The Board adopted a new Patriote de la Zone Mission statement:

Supporting a brighter, sustainable future for Haitian children and their families 

• We had another successful year in terms of fundraising.  Thank you to all of our supporters!