September-October 2010


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Haitian students arrive

On September 17, students who had arrived from Haiti the previous day, attended a simple orientation ceremony at the St Augustine Campus of The UWI. The students were warmly greeted by Campus officials and briefed on the measures that had been put in place as part of the “UWI for Haiti” initiative which has been running since the January earthquake devastated the island.

The Haitian Student Fund has focused on hosting displaced Haitian University students so they can complete their studies at UWI Campuses in Jamaica (Mona), Barbados (Cave Hill) and Trinidad (St Augustine). While tuition costs have been waived, accommodation and other costs have to be met, and fund-raising is ongoing.

At the St. Augustine Campus, 69 applications came (via the UWI Vice Chancellor’s Office) from the State University of Haiti. Forty-one final-year undergraduate Engineering students have applied to spend one semester completing their final projects. Twelve final-year undergraduate Science and Agriculture students have applied to spend up to one year completing their final projects. Five Veterinary Medicine students have applied to spend two years completing Master’s degrees (nominated by the Chief Veterinary Officer of Haiti). Eleven final-year Dental students have applied to spend up to one year completing their programme.

Photography: Aneel Karim