The story of these two students is truly horrifying. They spent almost three years living on the streets, and nights in the auditorium of their school. Being a student in Haiti has been a stressful situation for the last few years, with socio-political issues and crime.
The two newest members of the Sant Community came from a neighborhood called Matissant, occupied by gangs. In this area, armed bandits impose their law. Before venturing out, it is necessary to make sure that they are not in action. Victims of this phenomenon, these students decided to spend the night on benches, or even outside on the ground, because they feared what could happen if they stayed.
Eyes are not closed to see, ears are not closed to hear, arms are not cut to welcome, and hearts are not hardened to love or sympathize. This is the lifestyle that characterizes the Xaverian Brothers, and our mission in Haiti.
Touched by this news, Brothers Vincent and Adolph have started a process of finding one or two students who live in this situation, and welcoming them to the Sant Zaveryen Community, so they can also benefit from the supervision that this center offers young Haitians.
They came across Figaro Cantave, a 2nd year student at the School of Human Sciences, at the State University of Haiti (UEH), and Stanley Louissaint, a 3rd year student, at the same school and university. They have joined the community and are adapting very well. The unfortunate truth is that we found at least 15 students in this situation. Likely, there are many more. The Brothers hope to help others going forward.