Graduates of New Missions
// Tim DeTellis
Waking up on the day of your high school graduation in Haiti is a dream come true.
Our high school director, Anilus Jean Gasnel, led our graduating class of 2021 in a cheerful and celebratory ceremony filled with worship and praise. On Friday, July 23, at our high school campus in Signeau, our graduates were challenged to be the change Haiti needs during this historic accomplishment. We don’t just need leadership in Haiti—we need Christian leaders who are accountable to the principles of God’s Word.
Education is a gift and to each child sponsor, we say thank you for helping us rewrite history in Haiti. With great joy and honor our 115 seniors celebrated the completion of their high school education at New Missions.
Haiti is a country where only 20% of students ever attend high school. It’s not because the student doesn’t want an education. The real reason is there are not enough high schools, and public education is not free. So families cannot afford to send their kids to school.
Seeing these women finishing high school in Haiti is historic as typically, families only educated their eldest son.
Our vision is to raise a generation of Christian leaders and together, we are seeing this happen.
The shocking story for me on how valuable a high school education is came from the Voodoo priest in the village of Neply. He told me, “All my children have gone to the New Missions schools and now, none of them want to work for me.” This amazed me because I understood how rare education is in Haiti…but to see the vital work our schools do spiritually affirms why we exist. Congratulations to the class of 2021. Together, we are making history! ~Tim DeTellis
