UNICEF warns of $23 million deficit in Haiti's education system as it announces grant

Schools in Haiti’s capital and beyond are crumbling as gang violence deepens poverty and disrupts basic government services as the state education system faces a $23 million deficit.

“The country needs help,” said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of the UNICEF fund 'Education Cannot Wait.'

On Friday, she announced a $2.5 million grant that is expected to help nearly 75,000 children via cash transfers, school feeding programs and other initiatives.

Sherif was in Haiti as part of a three-day trip in which she visited schools and met with teachers, principals, state officials and civil society members. She pleaded with the European Union and countries including France and the U.S. to help close the educational deficit as she noted the impact violence has had on education.

Gangs have killed or injured more than 2,500 people in the first three months of the year, with violence disrupting life in the capital and elsewhere.

At least 919 schools remain closed in Port-au-Prince and in the central region of Artibonite because of the ongoing gang violence. The closures have affected more than 150,000 students, according to UNICEF.

Sherif said education would be a "big part" of the solution to Haiti's instability.

“That would end extreme poverty, extreme violence and create political stability and create a reliable workforce.”

Gang violence also has left some 580,000 people homeless across Haiti, with many crowding into makeshift shelters or taking over schools, causing them to shut down.

Schools that remain operational are increasingly forced to take students from other institutions that have shuttered.

The Jean Marie Vincent School in central Port-au-Prince, has welcomed students from a dozen other schools, and gives lessons in overcrowded classrooms.

The school grounds accommodate hundreds of homeless individuals who share the space.

Its administration and the students donated food to people sheltering in the grounds.

Private schools are out of reach for many in Haiti, a country of more than 11 million people where more than 60% of the population earns less than $2 a day.

Among those who have been forced to flee their homes is 20-year-old Megane Dumorcy, who is preparing to graduate. She would like to become an agronomist, but education has been a challenge for her.

"The insecurity has had a huge impact on my life. The state should find a solution for that. We shouldn't be living in a country where our movement is limited," said Dumorcy.