Nursing School for Naika
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This is Claudette. This is also “Naika Jean Simone”, a brilliant, compassionate, determined young woman from Haiti. And somehow I am blessed enough to be called her "guardian". Let me tell you a little about her life story.
Naika was dropped off at an orphanage by her family at around 10 months old, when her family felt unable to care for her. She was raised at OECB orphanage, in Tomassin, Haiti, and received schooling through approximately the 7th grade there. When she was in the 7th grade, one of her sister orphans ran off and got married, and frustrated and perhaps fearing that the education they were giving would be “wasted” on girls becoming married women, the leaders of the orphanage discontinued providing education for the girls. Naika and a few other girls protested, and in March 2010 they were kicked out of the orphanage.
Starving and without a roof over their head, one of their orphanage brothers (who had since moved out of the orphanage and reconnected with his family), Gardy, invited the girls to live in his “home” (essentially a 8x8’ shed they all shared). I had known Gardy through medical relief work surrounding the earthquake, and met Naika through him in June 2010. Using funds provided by Chief Moses Middle School students, I was able to enroll Naika in a local school, and for the last 6 years I have partnered with Chief Moses Middle School to provide education for her and the three other women living with her. My role in her life has also grown, to where I am now a "guardian" or sorts for her in Haiti; to be allowed such a role in such an extraordinary life, is truly a humbling gift.
For much of the last 6 years, going to school has meant walking an hour each way on rocky, uneven roads. She has taken classes amongst those much more “privileged” than she; watching others eat at times, while she often studies on an empty stomach, and patches together any tears in her clothing and shoes. Yet, Naika has consistently been called “the best student in the school”, her attendance reports are spotless, and I have personally witnessed her taking studying for all subjects/exams to an entirely different level.
Naika has long been known to me as "Claudette"; and if you have heard from me about her before, this is what you would remember her by. However, recently Naika was able to locate her birth family, and learned her birth name: Naika Jean Simone. This is the name she has decided to use going forward. :-)
Ever since I met her, Naika has wanted to be a nurse “to give back to my people in Haiti”. This summer, Naika will graduate from secondary school at the top of her class, and has a very good chance of getting into one of Haiti’s few (and competitive) nursing schools. Naika’s dream is to be a nurse, and my dream is to help her get there, preferably while remaining in Haiti in order to help her get the best education possible that is directly applicable to caring for her own people.
Recently, we lost one of the boys dearest to all of our hearts in Haiti. After 6 years of sponsorship, 5th grader Michelet was murdered in a most senseless way, and my Haitian employees and I have had a very difficult time recovering emotionally. The difficult decision has been made to retire the sponsorship project in Haiti at this time. My last major goal prior to wrapping up the last 8 years of work, is to help Naika to the finishing line of her dreams.
The way I think of it: a well educated Haiti- born and raised nurse, who is committed to giving back to her people, is more valuable long term to the people of Haiti than much anything else I can give (finances or time).
Unfortunately, financially, the local middle school students who have funded her secondary school, do not have the means to fund nursing school. And in residency right now, I myself am not able to either. Nursing school, to include tuition, room & board, and all books and supplies (including stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, etc), is approximately $4,000 per year, and lasts 4 years (it is a certified Bachelors program, approximately equivalent to the education she would receive from a Bachelor's in the United States). I recently posted her story on Facebook, looking for ideas of how to help Naika make it to this final stretch of her education, and it was recommended by several to start a GoFundMe page. Though I am historically very resistant to asking for "donations" for the work in Haiti, as I cannot think of another way to make this happen for her, I have decided to give this a try! :-)
Are you able to contribute to forming a scholarship of sorts, to help Naika make it to nursing school? I will need funds by July, and every dollar will go directly to her educational costs (none to my travel, etc).
Even if unable to financially or logistically help, please keep her path in your prayers. God is using her story to do amazing things. She is truly a remarkable woman, I am blessed to call adopted family, and who will one day make an astounding impact as a registered nurse. Sincerely, thank you.
-Analiesse
Naika was dropped off at an orphanage by her family at around 10 months old, when her family felt unable to care for her. She was raised at OECB orphanage, in Tomassin, Haiti, and received schooling through approximately the 7th grade there. When she was in the 7th grade, one of her sister orphans ran off and got married, and frustrated and perhaps fearing that the education they were giving would be “wasted” on girls becoming married women, the leaders of the orphanage discontinued providing education for the girls. Naika and a few other girls protested, and in March 2010 they were kicked out of the orphanage.
Starving and without a roof over their head, one of their orphanage brothers (who had since moved out of the orphanage and reconnected with his family), Gardy, invited the girls to live in his “home” (essentially a 8x8’ shed they all shared). I had known Gardy through medical relief work surrounding the earthquake, and met Naika through him in June 2010. Using funds provided by Chief Moses Middle School students, I was able to enroll Naika in a local school, and for the last 6 years I have partnered with Chief Moses Middle School to provide education for her and the three other women living with her. My role in her life has also grown, to where I am now a "guardian" or sorts for her in Haiti; to be allowed such a role in such an extraordinary life, is truly a humbling gift.
For much of the last 6 years, going to school has meant walking an hour each way on rocky, uneven roads. She has taken classes amongst those much more “privileged” than she; watching others eat at times, while she often studies on an empty stomach, and patches together any tears in her clothing and shoes. Yet, Naika has consistently been called “the best student in the school”, her attendance reports are spotless, and I have personally witnessed her taking studying for all subjects/exams to an entirely different level.
Naika has long been known to me as "Claudette"; and if you have heard from me about her before, this is what you would remember her by. However, recently Naika was able to locate her birth family, and learned her birth name: Naika Jean Simone. This is the name she has decided to use going forward. :-)
Ever since I met her, Naika has wanted to be a nurse “to give back to my people in Haiti”. This summer, Naika will graduate from secondary school at the top of her class, and has a very good chance of getting into one of Haiti’s few (and competitive) nursing schools. Naika’s dream is to be a nurse, and my dream is to help her get there, preferably while remaining in Haiti in order to help her get the best education possible that is directly applicable to caring for her own people.
Recently, we lost one of the boys dearest to all of our hearts in Haiti. After 6 years of sponsorship, 5th grader Michelet was murdered in a most senseless way, and my Haitian employees and I have had a very difficult time recovering emotionally. The difficult decision has been made to retire the sponsorship project in Haiti at this time. My last major goal prior to wrapping up the last 8 years of work, is to help Naika to the finishing line of her dreams.
The way I think of it: a well educated Haiti- born and raised nurse, who is committed to giving back to her people, is more valuable long term to the people of Haiti than much anything else I can give (finances or time).
Unfortunately, financially, the local middle school students who have funded her secondary school, do not have the means to fund nursing school. And in residency right now, I myself am not able to either. Nursing school, to include tuition, room & board, and all books and supplies (including stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, etc), is approximately $4,000 per year, and lasts 4 years (it is a certified Bachelors program, approximately equivalent to the education she would receive from a Bachelor's in the United States). I recently posted her story on Facebook, looking for ideas of how to help Naika make it to this final stretch of her education, and it was recommended by several to start a GoFundMe page. Though I am historically very resistant to asking for "donations" for the work in Haiti, as I cannot think of another way to make this happen for her, I have decided to give this a try! :-)
Are you able to contribute to forming a scholarship of sorts, to help Naika make it to nursing school? I will need funds by July, and every dollar will go directly to her educational costs (none to my travel, etc).
Even if unable to financially or logistically help, please keep her path in your prayers. God is using her story to do amazing things. She is truly a remarkable woman, I am blessed to call adopted family, and who will one day make an astounding impact as a registered nurse. Sincerely, thank you.
-Analiesse
Organizer
Analiesse Isherwood-Carter
Organizer
Tacoma, WA