On January 12, 2010 around 5pm, a 7.0 earthquake shook Haiti—a quake of this size had not been felt in the region since the 18th century.
The aftermath of the earthquake set in during the weeks after. More than 300,000 people were missing or had passed away, another 300,000 were injured, a staggering 1.3 million individuals were without homes, and the country’s power grid had gone out. The Haitian people poured into the capital, Port-au-Prince, hoping for aid and setting up shop in donated tents.
The government began launching relocation projects to manage overcrowding and the spread of disease in major cities. Edmond, a school teacher, was one of the thousands who was moved to a mountain in Cannon, Haiti. This area, originally founded to reduce overcrowding in the capital, came to be known as “the mountain of a million” because of the sheer number of people who resettled on it. Each family there were given a 30x30 foot plot to live on with a tin metal 10x10 foot house.
After a few years, a community began to develop in Cannon. People wanted to rebuild the lives they lost. Edmond noticed that the children didn’t have anything to do, as there wasn’t a school on the mountain, so he turned his home into a school.
Amanda Vanlandingham visited Edmond’s K-6th grade school and said, “I have never been in something so hot. It is what I imagine an oven feels like. Almost 40 kids were learning in that [environment] as sweat poured down their faces. The well, a ways down the mountain, was the only running water in the area. Edmond has no income because he has dedicated his life to teaching these kids who cannot afford to go to school.”
The 10x10 metal home that doubles as the school.
Interior of the school
The steep incline children walk up to get to class.
Students in the home
Amanda, moved by the situation, partnered with her church and employer DriButts, a nonprofit organization that distributes innovative diapers in Haiti and other countries, to work with Edmond and build something more conducive for studying. Together with the locals, they carried cinder blocks up the mountain and built a school with four classrooms.
Amanda explained, “We still need to finish the small office that will hold all the school supplies and build bathrooms, but I need to raise more money first. So everything is being done in phases. [That is] part of next year’s goal.” This year, 70 children enrolled.
Edmond teaching his class in the new school building
To get to school, the children have to walk across sharp rocks and unstable ground up a steep incline, and both Edmond and Amanda wanted to provide the students with proper footwear for the commute.
Children at the school putting on pairs of The Shoe That Grows
Edmond and Amanda
A few months later, Amanda traveled back to Haiti and brought pairs of The Shoe That Grows for the students. She reflected, “Edmond is an amazing man and I’m so grateful for the help he has given. He loved the shoes we gave out in his community.”
The Shoe That Grows are a small part of the work being done by Edmond and Amanda, but we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to take part in reducing the barrier to education for students in Haiti.
To be a part of future distributions that reduce students barrier to education, join The Sole.
