The context: the need and the challenge
Haiti is one of the world’s most fragile countries. Extreme poverty, political instability, and widespread crime make everyday life extraordinarily difficult, especially for children. In 2024, the World Bank reported that more than 64% of the population was living on less than US$3.65 a day. In this volatile environment, the school serves as a vital safe haven – a refuge from violence and marginalisation where children can receive care, food, and support.
Fondation St. Luc, ABF’s local partner, provides education, healthcare and social support to more than one million people each year and employs over 900 Haitians. Its work is led by Father Rick Frechette together with a group of local leaders committed to building a more dignified future for their communities.
In a country where education can open the door to a different future, it is vital to help children and families understand the value of learning, self-care, respect for their bodies and disease prevention.
ABF’s response
Andrea Bocelli Foundation has worked in Haiti since 2012, in partnership with Fondation St. Luc, to provide access to high-quality education in some of the country’s poorest and most remote communities, including Abricots, Croix-des-Bouquets, Kenscoff, Dame Marie and Devarenne.
The W.H.E.A.T. programme gives students free access to the St. Augustin, St. Philomene, Notre Dame du Rosaire, St. Raphael and Manitane schools. These are safe, fully functioning learning environments with equipped classrooms, libraries, computer labs, dining halls, kitchens, sanitation facilities and play areas.
Built between 2014 and 2018, the ABF-St. Luc schools have the same official status as state schools. They are run by qualified staff and follow programmes aligned with the national curriculum. A Central Committee coordinates all educational activities and monitors delivery of the curriculum in each community. Every day, the partnership between ABF and Fondation St. Luc enables more than 3,500 children to receive a safe, high-quality education.
Why it matters
- For children exposed to crime and extreme poverty, school is often the only safe place available.
- Education is a powerful route to individual and collective empowerment.
- Equal access to education depends on suitable facilities, qualified staff and a consistent curriculum.
- ABF and Fondation St. Luc work in some of Haiti’s poorest and most remote communities, where educational need is most urgent.
The project
Partners: Fondation St. Luc, local education teams, and central and community school committees.
Key activities:
- Operating and supporting 5 schools in the most vulnerable communities.
- Strengthening teaching quality through ongoing professional development based on the national curriculum.
- Coordinating education through the Central Committee and local committees.
- Creating and maintaining safe, well-equipped school environments.
- Health education programmes covering prevention, self-care and self-respect.
Project phases
The programme follows a strategically structured sequence of key operational milestones:
- Identifying community needs across the different provinces.
- Training teachers and defining curricula in coordination with the Central Committee.
- Securing uninterrupted access to high-quality education, backed by rigorous oversight and impact evaluation.
- Improving the infrastructure of the ABF-St. Luc schools.
- Evaluating impact and adapting educational activities accordingly.
Objectives
- Provide thousands of Haitian children with high-quality education every day.
- Build students’ dignity and self-awareness through a comprehensive education.
- Train qualified teachers and create a structured, well-monitored education system.
- Provide safe, well-equipped schools that meet local needs.
- Support cultural change that promotes responsibility, health and prevention.
