WHERE WE WORK
Massey, Haiti is located along the southern coast of the country, about ten miles outside the city of Les Cayes. Massey is a mountain community which is small in population but spreads over a very large area. There is a main "downtown" where there is a public water pump, a few vendors selling basic necessities, and a church which also runs a school. A few people live here, but most live spread out among the mountains beyond Massey proper.
The people of Massey are very warm, open, and friendly. They work hard to care for their families and
their neighbors, always working together toward a common purpose and common good for their community. The primary source of income in this area is farming and selling at the market. This provides very minimal support for a family and most children are unable to obtain even the most basic education.
Massey has one school that serves many of the children of the community. However, the Massey school is a multiple-hour walk for many children who live far up in the mountains. Some of these children travel to schools on the opposite side of the mountain
while others simply never attend a class.
Massey has a population of about 6,000 and less than 1/3 of the children there attend school every year. Of the ones who do, many must quit partway through the year or only attend sporadically due to lack of financial resources. Even children who are able to attend school regularly usually lack the required textbooks and basic supplies, which schools often do not provide.
