Students

"When I'm finished high school three years from now, I want to help my country. I want to find solutions for some of the problems we're having, like kidnapping and poverty. These things have always troubled me, even when I was young. I want to help with the kidnapping problem because my cousin was kidnapped in 2006 in Port au Prince and hasn't been seen since. I'd like to become a politician to help find the answer to these problems."

- Jean

"When I finish high school, I'd like to keep studying so I can get the work I want. I'd like to be a doctor, or a nurse, or an accountant. I'm not sure. First though, before going to university, I have to work. My parents don't have enough to pay for my studies."

- Brunice

"I live in Carrefour-Feuilles. I come one hour on the bus every day to go to school. My father is a mechanic. My mother sells food products out of our home. When I finish high school, I want to be a doctor. It shouldn't be too difficult for my parents to send me to school because I want to study in Cuba and it's not too expensive."

- Sindie

"I had to change schools in 2004. I lived in Delmas and there was a lot of chaos. It was the time of the coup d'etat. I was very afraid. It was terrible in the streets. There were gangs and bandits and a lot of shooting. My mother moved us to Petion-ville. Things are a lot better now, but my fatheris having a difficult time. He hasn't worked since the coup. He's an artist. He does drawings. He used to sell them in the street, but he doesn't draw anymore."

- Michel

"I come from a large family. I have three brothers and three sisters. To pay for everything, my mother washes clothes and my father makes wooden sculptures. He sells them on the street. When I finish high school, I'd like to be a doctor. I've wanted to be a doctor since I was 13, but I don't know how my mother will be able to send me to university. She doesn't have very much money."

- Étienne

"My family situation is pretty messed up. My father does nothing for me. My mother is dead. Some of my younger sisters live with my oldest sister. I work sometimes to make money to help the other members of my family. I'm determined to finish high school so I can study engineering. I don't know how I will do it, but I will find a way. I worry about the future."

- Assilien