Our mission

HCF is dedicated to helping end poverty in Haïti by providing students the opportunity to achieve post-secondary educations through fully subsidized scholarships to universities in Haïti.

Increased access to a university education in Haïti serves two important goals: (1) ending dependency: as Haïti is able to develop its own indigenous class of professionals, the country will become less reliant on outside expertise to solve its many problems; (2) promoting community development: through application of their learned skills, HCF graduates will effect long-lasting improvements in the communities from which they come by strengthening local economies that can help lift their fellow citizens out of poverty.

According to the Haitian Education & Leadership Program (HELP), college graduates are twice as likely to find employment as other Haïtians (96 percent versus 50 percent for those without a higher education). They are also able to achieve significantly higher earning potential ($10,000 per year in contrast to the national average of $653). As a result, North Yard Economics, Ltd. estimates that each graduate of a university program will add $300,000 to Haïti’s GDP over the course of his or her lifetime.

Thus, HCF scholarship recipients are not just attending college—they are planning a future for their families, their communities, and ultimately, the nation of Haïti. With a university-level education, young Haïtians can enter professional occupations and start businesses in their home communities, enabling them to promote Haïti’s economic development and social reconstruction at the local level.

The severely limited access to higher education in Haïti is a long-standing and complex problem. Universal access to free education at all levels does not exist in Haïti. According to the Haitian Education and Leadership Program, just 70 percent of children in Haïti attend elementary school and only 20 percent of all children actually complete elementary school. Less than half of those students will go on to graduate from secondary school. As a result, fewer than 1 percent of young people in Haïti actually go on to attend university.

Even with the relatively low cost of higher education in Haïti, the vast majority of graduating secondary students cannot afford to further their education. (While tuition and program fees vary, HCF budgets $5000 per semester for a student to attend university.) The end result is that many talented young people cannot receive the professional training needed to succeed as individuals. The less-advantaged have no chance to work their way out of poverty. This persistent problem in the aggregate stymies Haïti’s much-needed development.

HCF scholarship recipients are not just attending college—they are planning a future for their families, their communities, and ultimately, the entirety of Haïti.