Pourcine-Pic Makaya – First day of school in Haiti; the school year traditionally begins with the Mass invoking the Holy Spirit. “Unfortunately, many schools, especially in the capital Port-au-Prince, but not only there, have had to postpone their opening because of insecurity, violence and an education system in disarray,” Father Massimo Miraglio, a Camillian missionary and parish priest of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the hills of the village of Pourcine-Pic Makaya, told Fides.
“At the parish school in Pourcine-Pic Makaya, we have been working for several days to prepare for the opening, in accordance with the Ministry’s academic calendar. Today we are reopening our doors in the hope of a good school year. All the teachers are here and the students have turned out in large numbers, but the building housing the classrooms is still in a very precarious condition, despite some maintenance and reinforcement work.”
In recent months, drought and the resulting loss of much of the harvest have further worsened the population’s living conditions. “Our commitment is to remain close to families and students.”
“The longer I continue in my ministry, the more I realize how fundamental the school is in laying the foundations for a better future for our community,” the Camillian missionary stressed. “Invest in education today to reap good fruit tomorrow. It is a struggle whose outcome is highly uncertain, but here at the parish school of Pourcine-Pic Makaya, we are not backing down,” Father Massimo concluded.
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