Merger Building Project

History and Growth

In 2005, Johny and Rosadite Philippe started a school in Merger, a slum outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The school’s purpose is to provide the children of Merger with a Christian education in order to help them develop into self-sufficient, responsible citizens who are disciples of Jesus Christ. Prior to 2005, most of the children in Merger did not attend school. There was no school in Merger, and most families could not afford to send their children to school.

The school grew, and after three years there were 90 students. In May 2009, Glenwood started the Merger Student Sponsorship Program and all 90 children were sponsored by individuals and families from Glenwood. The school has continued to grow and currently there are over 400 students attending the school in kindergarten through grade 13 (this additional year is required in Haiti).

Meal Program and Facilities

Beginning with the 2010-11 school year, Glenwood helped Johny and Rosadite get a meal program started. Most children in Merger come to school without having eaten breakfast and do not have food for lunch. The program is now in place, and the children are receiving a good meal and a snack multiple times a week.

When it began, the meal program was run out of a house across the street from the school, presenting extra challenges. With help from Glenwood, both financially and through G.O. Teams, a cafeteria building was completed in October 2013 making the preparation and serving of meals much easier.

The Building Goal and Plan

To sustain the long term success of the school, permanent buildings for classrooms are needed.

For security, it was also necessary to build a wall around the property.  In the Haitian culture, if you don’t have a wall, it is like saying, "Whatever we have here, we don't really value it." As a result, some items were stolen from the school when it first began.  This wall was one of the first building projects Glenwood helped with.

All of the buildings have been designed and now that the wall and cafeteria building are finished, the classroom phase has begun. The February 2015 G.O. Team worked on the first classroom/office building that is being used for one of the kindergarten classroms. A third building was finished in early 2017 and houses two kindergarten classrooms. A bathroom facility was also constructed at that time. 

It is exciting and a privilege for Glenwood to participate with the Merger school in this work for God’s glory. If you are interested in contributing to this project, please make your check to Glenwood Community Church and designate your gift for the Merger Building Fund.