Since armed gangs invaded the Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood and surrounding areas over a year ago, several public institutions and schools have become shelters for displaced people, who continue to face violence from these armed groups. The Lycée du Cent Cinquantenaire was no exception. Overnight, its premises on Avenue Jean Paul II, in Port-au-Prince, were turned into a camp for people fleeing gang violence. "We didn't even have access to our offices," lamented the school's director, Marie Dominique Secours. "We often had to negotiate to retrieve certain files," she added. The administrative offices were ransacked twice, and the institution lost a significant amount of equipment. “Desks, chairs, and benches could not be recovered because the camp leaders demanded large sums in exchange,” the director explained.

Amid these challenges, the school relied on the goodwill of nearby institutions to continue its operations. "A nearby university lent us some classrooms to accommodate students," the director revealed, as access to the high school premises was impossible. Before the January semester began, the director had also used four classrooms at the Sacré-Cœur School, where she teaches, to host senior students preparing for their final exams.