Starfish Schools

History of Starfish Schools

Education has always been an important element of our ministry to children in Haiti.  From the beginning, a portion of the sponsorship for each child in the orphanage has gone to pay tuition at a local private Christian school, first in Pont Sonde and now in Tricotte.

In 2000, however, we sensed God's call to expand our educational ministry beyond the walls of the orphanage.  Roughly half of the children in all of Haiti have no opportunity for education, and in the region around Tricotte it's much worse than that.  There are  literally thousands of children with no school to attend.  This is beach teeming with Starfish!

Initially, Starfish Ministries became involved with four existing private Christian schools in in the villages of Beaudois, Champagne, David, and Miock.  These schools struggled because the majority of their students were unable to pay any reasonable tuition, but with sponsorships they have begun to thrive.  Then, in 2001, Starfish Ministries added an additional existing school in Drigeon and founded a brand new school in Ravine.  In September 2002, four more schools--Bera, Eau-Janvive, Grand Plaine, and Pendu--were added, bringing the total schools Starfish Ministries in involved in to nine. The school in Beaudois no longer is part of our school program as another organization began to support this work.  Several of our sponsored children from Beaudois, are now attending our school in Ravine.

In September 2003, three more schools were added bringing the tolal to twelve.  These new schools are located in the villages of Ti-David, Biscaille and La-Pierre.  The total enrollment has risen to 3406 students.  This a great opportunity to share Jesus Christ with these students and also opens the door to reach out to their parents.

Starfish Feeding Program

There's an African proverb that says, "A hungry stomach has no ears," and that became abundantly clear to us early in our experience at the school in Ravine.  These children were perhaps even more underfed than those in other villages, and this had a significant impact on their ability to learn.

So Starfish Ministries instituted a feeding program at the school in October, 2001.  The results were dramatic.  Under-nourished, despondent  children became happy, energetic, eager-to-learn students.  The program was so successful that in February, 2002, it became standard at every Starfish Ministries school.  We currently give a hot meal to every child in our school program four days per week. 

We are often asked, "How do you pay for food for so many school children?"  The answer to that question is one of the richest blessings of working with the children in Haiti.  God simply provides!  We see God feeding His children through obedient people.  People from small children sharing part of their allowance, teenagers giving from earnings from a part time job, others sacrificially doing without so they can give, and still others giving from their abundance.  Some of these people we've never met face to face, others we've shared with just once in passing, some have heard from friends.  But each heart God Himself has touched.  He chooses to use obedient hearts to supply for His children.