Presentation of the Cite Soleil mixed school Saint-Alphonse
The Saint-Alphonse School was created in 1982 with nearly 200 students in a shed made of straw and sheet metal, in the Cité Soleil, Linthau district by Denis Puthiot and a young Haitian pastor, Master Justin.
The school grew very quickly and was rebuilt in 1986 by the French Embassy. An annex opened in the very underprivileged neighborhood of Cardboard City, Brooklyn until 2000.
Currently, the Saint-Alphonse School, one of the most prestigious institutions in the Cité Soleil, welcomes in Linthau I, nearly 700 pupils from kindergarten to Baccalaureate), in anti-seismic and anticyclonic premises, rebuilt after the earthquake of 12 January 2010, on a plot of 2,800 m². These constructions include the new preschool section (3 to 5 years old) rebuilt on an independent plot of 800 m².
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The school's vision is to bring about a renewal in education and instruction in Haiti, especially in the supervision of teachers and a more advanced approach in the technique and quality of teaching. The school aims for excellence. We had the national winner in Philo A in 2006, from the Saint-Alphonse school.
The 2019-20 school year was very disrupted by the movements of protests against the government in place. These “country lock” movements prevented the reopening of schools in September 2019. Nevertheless, the Saint-Alphonse school, thanks to the dynamism of these leaders and teachers, were able to start in November and make a first evaluation at the end of December. Most schools were able to resume in January but the year had to stop on March 19 because of the Covid 19 pandemic, which entered Haiti.
This year has been very difficult for the entire population with rampant insecurity and a lower standard of living every day, leading to almost general impoverishment. Fortunately, the Covid 19 did not have the dreaded importance and the Ministry has planned to restart courses in August to take the official and passing exams in October, the new 2020-2021 school year scheduled for early November.
The Cité Soleil has become a battleground between armed bands wanting to control as many neighborhoods as possible. The area having become too dangerous, we decided to bring all secondary students to the Fourgy school to follow the exam preparation courses. Many families had taken refuge in other more peaceful neighborhoods outside the Cité Soleil.
The vast majority of secondary school students, nearly 250 students, are therefore taking lessons so far in Fourgy, while we have resumed primary classes in the city with some difficulty in September.
