Chalice has been partnering with the Fondation Montesinos who run the Pierre Salvatti Orphanage, since 2018. Chalice’s sponsor site is called St Dominique, named for the children’s school, L’Institution Saint Dominique. The school is the meeting point for children who live at the orphanage, under the care of loving staff members and Sisters, and the children in the community who can live with their families.
The sponsor site is located just outside the capital, Port-au-Prince, which has been at the centre of Haiti’s ongoing political turmoil and social disorder, which has led to soaring inflation and shortages on essentials. The unmanageable costs of food, fuel and other basics are pushing families further into poverty and food insecurity. The “basics” children need to attend school daily are becoming luxuries for the parents and guardians of sponsored children.
The children’s education is central to the sponsor site’s mission. But for 110 sponsored children, the cost of books, uniforms, school supplies and clothing was preventing them from attending their classes and completing their studies.