Student Spotlight: Meet Vil Mariette

Hello Friends,Way back in October of 2015 (yes, we know it seems ages ago), Jim traveled down to Haiti to present the 2015 Academic Achievement awards to the top scorers of the National Exam in the Marmalade School. These awards are part of our ongoing initiative in Marmalade to feed and educate the schoolchildren so they grow to become healthy, employable young adults.There is no doubt that you are an essential piece to the success of this mission. You are all helping to foster change in Haiti, every day. In order for you to better grasp the impact you are generating, we’ve created a “Student Spotlight” series that highlights 11 randomly selected Marmalade students. Some were 2015 Academic Achievement Award recipients, and some are working hard to achieve the award in 2016. The children are all different ages, and all have their own goals and dreams. These are the children that you are helping to build a future for, every single day.So, without further adieu, we are delighted to introduce you to Vil Mariette, the two-time top scorer on the National Exam in the whole Marmalade School!Vil MarietteGrade:5Age: 19Her Dream: To go to nursing school and open a clinic in her home community.Vil Mariette is a very special young woman. She is an excellent student; she placed first out of the 250 students in our Marmalade School, two years in a row! On her left is her Dad and on her right is Pastor Villens, the founder of the Marmalade school.Despite being 19 years-old, Vil is only in the 5^th grade. This is a common problem in Haiti; Vil is one of eight children, and her parents struggle to educate all of them. Vil joined primary grade school at age 14, along with dozens of other children of varying ages who were all unable to read or write.Vil enjoys school, and her consistent success guarantees that she will be back next year. We would love to bump her ahead a grade, but the National Exams do not allow us to do so. Her life goal is to go to Nursing School, so that she can open a Community Center Mobile Health Clinic in the town of Planton where she lives. Vil is upbeat, confident and self-assured. She loves where she lives, she has a great relationship with her parents, and she hopes to one day make a big difference in her community.Your generous donations are helping to feed and educate students just like Vil. And with your continued help, you open the doors for many other students to achieve the same success, and grow to become self-sustained, employable adults fully equipped to help rebuild the Haitian economy.Thank-you, friends, for all that you do!The Help for Haiti TeamSave