A worthy project needs some help...
Jacmel is a picturesque town on the south coast of Haiti. In 1975 there were more than 30 primary schools here but only 3 secondary schools. This meant that hundreds of children whose parents did not have the financial resources to send them to school in Port-au-Prince were forced to terminate their educations. College Suisse was opened in October 1976 to help remedy this problem. The school was founded with donations from a group that included Haitians, Swiss and Americans who believed that education was the most hopeful solution to Haiti's misery.
In the first year, there were 7 teachers and 105 Students. 27 years later, the school has survived the political and economic upheavals that have plagued Haiti and has grown and prospered. In 2003 there are more than 35 teachers for 900 students, including a free primary school for indigent children, who are taught by College Suisse students each afternoon when the College is not in session, and an evening school for adults that features vocational training as well as reading, writing and arithmetic.
College Suisse has maintained a high level of academic excellence, ranking always in the top 10 percent of Haiti's educational institutions. Each year, the top three students in each class are awarded scholarships for the next semester. The philosophy of the school is that since all of the students are more or less poor, advancement and rewards, such as scholarships, are predicated on hard work and measurable results
Gottfried Krauschi is the primary founder, Administrator and life blood of College Suisse. In Switzerland he was an executive of a multinational chemical company, a captain in the Swiss army and the author of 2 books on chess. Weary of the rat race, he took a sabbatical in 1973 to travel around the world . He settled in Jacmel later that year. He and his wife, Yolette, a Haitian, have four children, and live two blocks from the school, in a humble but joyful fashion, without a car, a refrigerator or a flush toilet.
The chronic problem for College Suisse is lack of funds. Because of the declining economy in Haiti, more and more parents find it difficult to pay the tuition on time, so that supplementary funds are needed to pay the teachers. Another problem is that the school is overcrowded

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If another floor could be added to the school, the income from additonal students would go a long way towards providing financial independence for College Suisse.

In an effort to raise the money to fund the expansion of College Suisse, several generous people have donated paintings, the proceeds from which will be donated to the building fund. To see the paintings,
click here.
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