FAQs

How can I get involved?

The best way to support our students is through direct monetary donations. We accept donations of any size.

We also offer two scholarship levels – $10,000/year and $15,000/year – that allow donors to support one student over their five-year degree. At these scholarship levels, donors support a student through all five years of their education and receive reports on their student's progress at the end of each semester.

What is the selection criteria and process?

H.E.L.P. recruits nationwide and receives about 350–400 applications each year from straight-A high school graduates. Conditions permitting, the top 100 candidates are invited to our campus for a 2–3-week orientation and selection period where students live in H.E.L.P. dorms, participate in classes and career orientation, and are interviewed by the admissions committee. From this group, the top 50 candidates are selected to receive H.E.L.P. scholarships.

Will I have any say in selecting the student I’ll sponsor?

While we can’t make any guarantees, we make every effort to work with donors to select their student either by interest area and/or from a shortlist of available students.

Can I visit H.E.L.P. in Haiti to meet the student I’m sponsoring?

We are always happy to welcome donors to our center, introduce them to students, and have them sit in on classes, admissions interviews, and more.

Can I communicate directly with the student I’m sponsoring?

It is our policy not to have students in direct communication with their sponsors. However, we provide semi-annual updates from the student and are happy to arrange in-person meetings during donor visits to Haiti. We can also coordinate a Zoom meet & greet through our Development office.

Will my memorial scholarship fund be featured on the H.E.L.P. website?

Memorial scholarship funds totaling $75,000 or more (at least one full sponsorship at $15,000/year for five years) will have the option of being featured on our website. The family can work with our development team to create either a donation or memorial page for their scholarship.

What is the name of the University H.E.L.P. students attend?

We send students to one of three universities in Port-au-Prince: Quisqueya University, University of Notre Dame of Haiti, and the Information Science Institute. These universities are members of the Association of Francophone Universities and have a proven track record of providing quality education. There are other institutions in Haiti that don’t suit our students’ needs either due to lack of academic rigor and/or poor management.

What language is the medium of instruction in the University, French or English?

French is the formal language in Haiti for education, although most classroom instruction and discussion is in English.

Does H.E.L.P. have connections with the Haitian government that could be leveraged to provide other kinds of support for Haiti?

We are licensed as a higher education institution by the Ministry of Education and are a beneficiary of the National Education Fund, but these relationships are exclusively focused on our work in higher education.

What happens if a student I’m sponsoring abandons the University program?

We have a very low attrition rate (less than 1–2 students/year out of over 150), but in the unlikely event that the student you’re sponsoring leaves the program, we will match you with a new student.

What happens if the University shuts down due to political instability, or pandemic, or whatever?

We have had lots of experience with this! We adapt to current conditions in Haiti with the goal of keeping students engaged and progressing despite obstacles. In the fall of 2019, universities closed due to instability, so we kept students in the dorms and brought intensive English and Leadership lessons, as well as workshops, student debates, and other activities, to them. When universities reopened, students were ready. In 2020, when the pandemic closed the dorms and university classrooms, students went home with the tools needed to follow classes (ours and the universities') remotely. Our advisors increased their connections with students, calling every week to check in on academic progress and troubleshoot any logistical issues students were facing in the new learning environment. This commitment contributes to our low attrition rate and has meant that over the last two years, our students have not fallen behind.

Is H.E.L.P. sponsored by or promoting any particular political, national, governmental, or religious organizations or agendas?

No.

How is my personal information stored and used by H.E.L.P.?

We will not sell, share, or trade our donors’ names or personal information with any other entity, nor send mailings to our donors on behalf of other organizations.

This policy applies to all information received by the Haitian Education and Leadership Program (H.E.L.P.), both online and offline, on any platform (including our website), as well as any electronic, written, or oral communications. To the extent any donations are processed through a third-party service provider, our donors’ information will only be used for purposes necessary to process the donation.