By Williamson Jacques | Matènwa Community Learning Center
At the Matènwa Community Learning Center, we often say that education is not only about the classroom. It is about dignity. It is about responsibility. And it is about preparing young people to serve their communities with skill, compassion, and confidence.
Today, I am honored to share a story that fills me with deep pride — and deep gratitude. Because of your generosity, two young women who grew up in rural communities on Lagonav are now well on their way to becoming professional nurses. Their names are Lounedia Lundy and Tamika Nonnonme, and their journeys show what is possible when long-term, values-driven education is matched with steady donor support.
Lounedia grew up in the Matènwa community. Tamika comes from a nearby rural community called Nan Kafe. Both began their journeys as students shaped by this educational model — and both are now studying Nursing Science at Université Wesleyenne d’Haïti.
Becoming Nurses — and Community Servants
Lounedia is currently in her third year of nursing school. Tamika is in her fourth and final year. This is no small achievement. Many students are forced to stop their studies long before reaching this level, often because of financial hardship or lack of academic support.
Because of the LKM College Scholarship Program, these two students have been able to continue.
Both Lounedia and Tamika have already signed an agreement with LKM to return to serve their communities after graduation. They will complete approximately six months of community service, providing care where access to health services is most limited.
Right now:
- Both students are completing demanding coursework and clinical internships at Wesleyenne Hospital
- Lounedia will soon spend two weeks providing health services in another vulnerable community as part of her required community service
- Tamika is preparing for her final internship in Léogâne, where she will spend three months gaining hands-on experience before graduating
These are not abstract plans. This is real preparation for real service.
“I Am the First in My Family”
When Lounedia speaks about her journey, her emotion is clear:
“I feel very proud to be in my third year. Many students were not able to reach this level. I am proud because I will be a nurse. My dream is to graduate, earn my diploma and license, and one day open my own pharmacy to care for people in need. I thank LKM for reinvesting in me. I am the first person in my family who will earn a diploma and a professional license.”
Tamika, now approaching graduation, feels the weight and meaning of this final year:
“This is my last year. It is the most emotional and demanding moment. I am learning to take responsibility, supervise others, and prepare myself to work independently. After I graduate, I hope to specialize in neonatology, caring for newborns who arrive too early or with medical complications.”
She, too, plans to return to her community to provide primary health care for the most vulnerable.
A Word of Thanks — From All of Us
None of this happens by chance.
It happens because a community of donors and friends chooses to invest in the long term — not only in children today, but in the future teachers, nurses, and leaders they will become. That commitment makes it possible for rural communities to build education and health systems rooted in dignity, opportunity, and hope.
Support for the Matènwa Community Learning Center’s primary and secondary schools creates the foundation. And when additional donors step forward to fund scholarships, students like Lounedia and Tamika are able to continue their education and return home with the skills their communities urgently need.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing a special opportunity — connected to International Women’s Day — to help more young women from Matènwa continue their studies through scholarship support.
When you support Matènwa, you are not funding a single student or a single year.
You are helping build a system where young people can come home equipped to heal, teach, and lead.
On behalf of Lounedia, Tamika, and the entire Matènwa community: thank you.
Your generosity is already saving lives — and it will save many more.
With gratitude and hope,
Williamson Jacques | Matènwa Community Learning Center
