President of Haiti visits FSIL Nursing School

April 2, 2012
President Michel Martelly offered words of encouragement to students at FSIL School of Nursing in Leogane, Haiti last week. He emphasized the importance of education as he toured the school’s facilities and visited each class. (Shown here with Shirley Dieuveille Mathieu, graduate of FSIL’s first class.)

Martelly’s visit came when the Ministry of the Interior chose FSIL School of Nursing as the venue for launching a new program in Leogane. The conference was held in the school cafeteria.

Dean Hilda Alcindor, described the president’s visit and the impact it had on the students. “They were elated, to say the least,” she said.  

FSIL School of Nursing is the only college-level nursing school in Haiti. Its students come from the banana groves in the mountains and from the slums of Port au Prince, and most of them depend on scholarships in order to afford their education. Following the 2010 earthquake, FSIL students hosted thousands of homeless on the school property and, directed and encouraged by Dean Alcindor,  were the first to care for their medical needs.

MBF has a long history with FSIL, having obtained a USAID/ASHA grant in 2004 to build the school’s classrooms and dormitory and another grant recently to build a new auditorium and classroom, administration wing, and guest house. MBF continues to gather support for the school and its students. To find out more, contact MBF at 800-547-7627 or through this web site.