Janelle Boucher

My name is Janelle Boucher and this is my first year as a member of Habitat for humanity. I was told we would be spending our annual trip in the Lower Ninth Ward located in New Orleans. One of the most devastated parts of Louisiana from Hurricane Katrina.

When we arrived and went on a tour of the area with our host, Mack, I was shocked at the status of the lower ninth despite it being almost seven years since the hurricane. I didn’t know what to expect when I first came down but what Mack showed us was beyond anything I could have envisioned.

Mack made a point to show us the status of the schools in the area; there’s a total of one. The school isn’t miniscule but it is probably smaller than my high school which held 2000 students from 9th to 12th grade. This one school is expected to hold and educate students from K—12 . This is ridiculous. If this isn’t bad enough, the seniors at this school are educated in small white trailers. It gets worse. The graduation rate in Louisiana is about 63 percent. From that number only about 60 percent have an adult literacy level.

Mack then told us about his daughter who used to live in New Orleans but evacuated and later had children in another area. He once asked her to return one day so he could see his grandchildren. She said she wouldn’t, her kids had a chance where they were; they were on the honor role.

He must have been crushed when she told him this but he understood. How could he ask her to come back when New Orleans has the highest crime rate and a murder rate that has doubled since Katrina. He believes these statistics are because the youth in New Orleans are under educated. I agree with him considering the average 16-year-old sent to a juvenile facility in Louisiana has a 5th grade reading level.

For more information about the Lower Ninth Ward Village please visit their website here and if you would like to make a donation, you can do that here.