UNICEF warns of $23 million deficit in Haiti’s education system as it announces grant

Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Schools in Haiti’s capital and beyond are crumbling as gang violence deepens poverty and disrupts basic government services as the state education system faces a $23 million deficit. The executive director of the UNICEF fund Education Cannot Wait, Yasmine Sherif, says the country needs help. On Friday, she announced a $2.5 million grant that is expected to help nearly 75,000 children via cash transfers, school feeding programs and other initiatives. Sherif pleaded with the European Union and countries including France and the U.S. to help close the educational deficit.