30253: Hermantin(letter to the Editor)HELP provides scholarships (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Sun, Mar. 25, 2007


Posted on Sun, Mar. 25, 2007

HELP provides scholarships


Re the March 17 Verbatim, Hope for a vibrant Haitian society: I commend the 
Haitian hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean for his statement to the U.S. House Western 
Hemisphere Subcommittee last week. As Jean correctly points out, education is 
vital for Haiti to move forward.

I've always believed that Haiti will need as many educated Haitians as possible 
to come up with innovative solutions to myriad problems people there face 
daily, whether in urban centers or in rural areas.

While lauding Jean's Yele Foundation's noble work, I am taking this opportunity 
to point out a similar educational initiative called HELP, which provides 
scholarships to the brightest and neediest young men and women in Haiti's 
public schools. We raise money to provide these scholarships. This year HELP is 
paying for tuition, books, some housing and some transportation for 80 students 
who finished in first or second place in their classes. A young woman from Cite 
Soleil who was one of HELP's early scholarship recipients became a medical 
doctor last year.

Other graduates are working as accountants, teachers and engineers; some are 
attending law school. Through its graduates, HELP is helping build Haiti's 
civil society, educating Haitians who are staying in Haiti to help grow the 
professional class that is so vital to a functioning democracy.

YVES COLON, Surfside





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© 2007 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com

_________________________________________________________________
It’s tax season, make sure to follow these few simple tips 
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/PreparationTips/PreparationTips.aspx?icid=HMMartagline