Little Sisters of Ste Therese of the Child Jesus
The Congregation of the Little Sisters of Ste Therese of the Child Jesus was founded at Marbial, in the Diocese of Jacmel in Haiti, on Dec 14, 1948 by the Rev. Franèse Louis-Charles, with the collaboration of 3 young girls. One of them, Mother Carmélia Lohier, became the Co-Foundress of the Congregation. The congregation has two major objectives: evangelization and the social development of the rural population.
“Education rentable” is the French term Father Louis Charles used to describe his vision of education for the poorest peasants. In English, “Worthwhile, or profitable education” was understood by him as the way to teach poor children. Learning vocational skills as well as academics even in elementary school would give poor children a means to earn enough income to pay their tuition in secondary schools.
Today, the Petites Soeurs operate 32 elementary schools, 6 secondary schools, and a teacher training school, all based on the “education rentable” model, so the children learn vocational skills as well as academics. They also accept 30 to 40 women into each of their 15 Centres Feminines or Home Economics Centers each year. Here they learn reading, nutrition, cooking, child development, sewing and many other skills during this three-year program.
At 87 small centers throughout the mountains, workers perform monthly weigh-ins for infants and children and give supplements and nutritional counseling to mothers. Children are vaccinated and the health of pregnant women is monitored. Children with severe malnutrition can stay and recuperate at the centers for one to eighteen months.
The sisters also manage 2 nursing homes for the elderly, 1 TB sanitarium, 20 dispensaries, and 2 farms where they process food.
The sisters live from day to day. The economic and political situation in Haiti is extremely difficult. They do not receive any assistance from the government. Many of the children who attend their schools cannot afford to pay the tuition. The sisters, because they are an indigenous religious congregation, depend almost entirely on grants and the generosity of their friends and family outside the country, especially in the United States.
What do they need? Everything!! In addition to helping them with a financial contribution (that is given directly and entirely to them) they are in great need of medical and school supplies. The money that is sent is used to buy food for the meals provided for the children as well as for the Sisters themselves. Money also helps to pay for the medical expenses incurred by the Sisters because the congregation cannot afford to carry medical insurance. Money is also needed to pay the salaries of the teachers and staff at their ministry sites. During the year money received from contributions is either delivered personally during our annual visit to them or forwarded to them through a reliable liaison. Each September, the Nation Twinning Program sponsors a Sea Container Project, which facilitates the shipping of materials through a site in New Jersey. In the past boxes of school supplies such as notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, erasers, etc have been collected from schools in the Scranton Diocese and sent to their school in Riviere Froide. Medical supplies such as vitamins, antibacterial lotions, aspirin, iron supplements, bandages, personal hygiene items, etc are examples of supplies that have been donated and either brought or sent to the congregation.
There is no such thing as a small contribution. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and the 3rh hungriest in the world. If $1 can buy a notebook on which a Haitian child can practice writing then you have helped to erase illiteracy in a county whose rate of illiteracy is 85%. If $10.00 can feed a family for a week then you have helped several children to have the strength to walk the 2 to 4 hrs to get to school.
If you want to make a difference in the lives of these poorest of God’s poor, please contact:
