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?

HELP 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 the HELP campus for a 2–3-week orientation and selection period where students live in HELP 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 HELP scholarships.

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

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

Can I visit HELP in Haiti to meet the student I’m sponsoring?

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

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

It is HELP policy not to have students in direct communication with their sponsor. HELP provides semi-annual updates from the student and is happy to welcome donors to Haiti to meet in person with their student. Additionally, HELP can arrange for a Zoom meet & greet through the Development office.

Will my memorial scholarship fund be featured on the HELP 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 HELP's development team to create either a donation or memorial page for their scholarship.

What is the name of the University HELP students attend?

HELP sends 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 HELP 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 HELP have connections with the Haitian government that could be leveraged to provide other kinds of support for Haiti?

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

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

HELP has 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, HELP will match you with a new student.

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

HELP has had lots of experience with this! HELP adapts to the current conditions in Haiti with the goal of keeping students engaged and progressing in the face of obstacles. In the fall of 2019 universities closed due to instability and so HELP kept students in the dorms and brought intensive English and Leadership lessons as well as workshops and student debates and activities to the dorms. When universities reopened, students were ready. In 2020 when the pandemic closed the HELP dorms and university classrooms, students went home with the tools needed to follow classes (HELP & university) remotely. Advisors increased their connection to 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 HELP’s low attrition rate and has meant that over the last two years, HELP students have not fallen behind.

Is HELP sponsored by or promoting any particular political, national, governmental, or religious organizations or agendas?

No.

How is my personal information stored and used by HELP?

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 (HELP), both online and offline, on any Platform (“Platform”, includes the Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP) 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.