An Update on ATN, School, and Haiti

With the school year beginning both here and in Haiti, I wanted to update everyone on what is going on with our kids and with Haiti in general. I will split the update into a few sections focusing on Covid-19, the start of a new school year, the ending of last school year, and how things are going at All Things New.

As you know, Covid-19 has hit Haiti hard just like it has most of the rest of the world, but it seems to at least be slowing to some extent. Schools will be opening soon (keep reading for more info) and the airport re-opened to international travelers on June 30. The truth is it is very difficult for anyone to know the scope or the lethality of the virus because of how difficult testing and results have been in Haiti. Just keep praying that things get better soon and that the reopening of the country does not cause a flare-up.

There are 2 important things to know about school. First, the plan is that schools will open their doors sometime in August. This, however, will not be for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year but to finish the 2019-2020 school year. Schools will have to open 50 additional days for the school year to count for students, so our kids will be going back to school in August.

We are also bringing all of our employees back on August 1 so that they can start getting our kids ready for school and things can get back to as normal as possible. None of our kids have gotten sick, and we are praying that it stays that way, but Haiti is opening back up and we feel like we have to allow our kids to be a part of it at this point. Masks will be worn (thanks to Gina for making all of our kids one) and precautions will be taken.

Second, the 2020-2021 school year will begin on Oct. 1 throughout Haiti. This will give schools time to close out last school year and they will really not be starting back the new year that much later. We have already started collecting supplies for that start date and we will continue to do so as that date approaches.

Finally, things at All Things New are going well. None of our kids have gotten sick, they are all ready to get back to normal life, and 3 of our coders are officially finished with their training. These are all good things.

At the same time, we are trying to figure out how the pandemic is affecting our financial bottom line both in the short-term and in the long-term. It is very hard to read the future, but it is clear that giving is down across the board for most nonprofits and we have not been immune to that trend. With our employees starting again on August 1, our expenses will increase, so if GOD lays it on your heart to give, there are many options available. Click here to give online or to see the other options available.