Crosby Fund for Haitian Education

Our Work in Haiti

The Crosby Fund for Haitian Education was founded in 2004 by Rebecca and Frederick Crosby, out of their concerns over the lack of affordable educational opportunities for young people in Haiti.

The Crosbys were convinced that the country’s future depended on educating its youth, so they established a Fund that provides full scholarships to academically promising students from the Artibonite Valley who could not otherwise afford to attend school. The scholarships aim to prepare these students for post-secondary educations and careers within Haiti. For every student selected, the Fund provides full tuition, the required books and school uniform, and also covers all exam fees.

When the program first began, the Fund was only able to offer scholarships to 36 high school students; today, it offers almost 400 scholarships that enable students to attend schools that include everything from kindergartens and primary schools, up through technical schools and bachelor-degree university programs. All students attend schools in Haiti.

In addition, every summer since 2013, the Crosbys have led an annual trip to Haiti for local students in grades 9-12. More than 50 area students have participated in this transformative and engaging experience. The teens participate in arts and craft projects, offer English tutoring, play soccer with Haitian teens, deliver handmade clothing to children, visit schools and learn about the lives of rural Haitians. The experience provides a great way for them to become more engaged in understanding and helping solve the problems of the world – by engaging in hands-on activities with Haitian teens and witnessing firsthand the poverty in this developing country.

In January of 2017, the Crosbys opened a new Education Center for the Fund in Deschapelles, Haiti. The Center’s focus is on providing daily tutoring classes, teacher training and literacy programs. It also provides a permanent home for the Fund’s scholarship work, with offices for staff, classrooms and a computer lab. Our church will be working closely with the Fund to leverage the Center’s capabilities to provide additional educational opportunities to adults.

Both our Mission Board and our Ladies Benevolent Society (LBS) have provided generous support for the Fund. The Mission Board has twice established a micro-lending grant of $5,000 to benefit Haitians through an organization called FINCA, an international leader in micro-lending banking. When the Crosbys travel to Haiti, they take along clothing made by our LBS Sewing Group and other needed items donated by the Society.

You can follow the Fund’s work and accomplishments on Facebook.