Kindergarten Graduation

These last few days have been quite the celebration for the Kindergarten graduates at the HOM schools. Because they have 3 years of kindergarten (Pre-K, K1 and K2), there is a big graduation ceremony held at the church to honor the students and their families. Let me tell you… this was no ordinary graduation ceremony!!! On Thursday morning, we went to the Repatriote graduation. Because this is only the first year of the school being opened, it was fewer people and therefor a tiny bit shorter. This one lasted only 3 hours…. for 18 students. The ceremony began at 7:00 am so we arrived around 6:30 to help the little ones get into their cap and gowns! Even though it had rained the night before, everyone showed up on time and dressed to the nines. This morning we started with Terre Noire graduation at 7:00 am… this was for 73 students. It lasted until around 11:00. Again, even though it rained the night before and essentially flooded the roads, everyone showed up on time and again dressed very nicely. This afternoon, we went to the graduation at Cite Soleil. This began at 1:00 and went until about 5:30.

All of the ceremonies were pretty similar. The graduates came in with their cap and gowns on, sat up at the front of the church and then Mrs. Jacky, the superintendent spoke. Throughout the ceremony, there were several songs, dances, prayers, and skits; which all required several costume changes. When the diplomas were finally handed out, each parent came up and got the certificate with the child. It was very special because the parents are so proud of their students! After the ceremony, all of the students took off their robes and their uniforms and all put on the fanciest little dresses I have ever seen, it slightly resembled an episode from Toddlers and Tiaras but these kids are far cuter and way classier. There were gifts handed out, pictures taken and much to celebrate! Although they were long and I didn’t understand much of what was being spoken, I loved being a part of it because the kids knew they had accomplished something big and the parents and family members couldn’t be prouder!

I wanted to share a special moment that I had this morning at Terre Noire. If you have read my blog, you know about the House of Hope. It is a children’s home for 11 girls whose families were unable to provide for them. This year, 3 of the girls (Dafka, Roberts and Lumiantha) all graduated from Kindergarten. We had already planned to have a party with cake and other yummy treats at their house after, but they had some unexpected visitors at the graduation. Roberta’s family surprised her and came to the graduation. It was such a treat for her and you could tell how excited she was to see them. There were probably 20 to 25 people there to cheer her on. The dad, who spoke English, was so grateful and thankful for taking in 2 of his daughters and hugged us all and told us how proud he was of the progress they had made. Clarafina, who is 4 and will be graduating next year, is also his daughter. He brought 2 large cakes for all of the girls to share, nice dresses and shoes for the girls and some presents. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to give up your child because you can’t provide for them, but I have so much respect for this man, for realizing his daughters deserved better, but also for staying involved and supporting them the best he can.

Overall, it’s been a really fun two days helping with the graduation and enjoying the time without any teams here! We’re hoping for somewhat of a day/night off tomorrow and some of us are going to go out to dinner at a place up the mountain! Thankful for all of the prayers and support!!! 

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My Time in the Clinic

This week we have just one team staying with us at Terre Noire. This is a medical team from Blacksboro, Virginia. I wanted to share a little bit about my time spent with their team in the clinic. Initially I was terrified to go into the clinic… having absolutely no clinic experience and also having heard some of the stories of patients seen at this clinic in Cite Soleil. HOM shares the clinic with Samaritan’s Purse, an organization that focuses on disaster relief. Patients do not have to pay anything to see the doctor or to get the prescriptions. They often come with a random assortment of illnesses and symptoms, and they see patients of all ages. My assignment was to work in triage with 2 other nurses to check patients in, take their temperature, weight, etc and then get them to the appropriate doctor. When we first pulled up Monday morning at 7:30, I was overwhelmed at the sight of nearly 300 people in line. While they were waiting, they were worshipping, singing and praying as a group. It was neat to see them (hundreds of sick patients) worship so joyfully while waiting in line. I know when I go to the doctor, I’m not near as patient and the absolute last think I want to do is sing and pray with the strangers around me.

I will not go into detail about the patients we saw, mostly because I don’t know half of the medical terms that were used. Each day we saw an average of 140 patients and gave each one vitamins, deworming medicine and any other prescription needed to treat their illness. I wasn’t sure how much I would be able to help, but I realized about 30 minutes in all I needed to do was love on these sick little babies and talk to the moms and other patients (obviously with the help of our amazing translators). I was saddened to see so many malnourished and underweight babies be brought in by such young moms, but was encouraged to watch as they listened so closely to the doctor and expressed desires to become better parents and give their children everything they possibly can given the circumstances. It was also extremely eye opening to listen to the questions being asked and the overall lack of understanding when it comes to engaging in any sexual relationships. Unfortunately, we had to give many young patients pregnancy tests, multiple HIV tests and several were treated for an STD. I think we so often take for granted the knowledge, information and prevention methods so readily available for us.

I cannot begin to tell the many stories of patients we’ve seen this week. But I thank the Lord for each one of the patients we have seen and will see throughout the week and pray for their healing and their protection. By the end of the week, it is likely that we will have seen nearly 1,000 patients. It’s pretty crazy to think that a team of 1 pharmacist, 3 doctors, 2 nurses, 2 extra helpers, 8 interpreters and 2 long-term volunteers can make such a difference. It all comes down to an extraordinary God using simple, average people like me to allow extraordinary things to happen in a community with such great need.  I am so thankful for this opportunity and for these life-changing experiences. The Lord is working in mighty ways here in Haiti and I’m blessed to be a part of it. 

Twins that were less than one month old: Macus and Myson 

 Sweet Myson:

 Tish and Amy with Macus and Myson:

 Max with his chunky little nugget:

 John Gaudy getting ready for his baby to come in 2 months:

House of Hope

Right down the street from where I am staying, there is a children’s home called House of Hope. It is not officially associated with HOM, but the girls do go to the HOM school at Terre Noire and Nadege (the principal at the Terre Noire school and the daughter to Pastor Leon) oversees the home. There are 11 girls, 8 of them are under the age of 5. They are adding on to the house so they can bring in more girls and are also hoping to build another building on the property to help even more children. It is not technically an orphanage because most (if not all) of them do have parents, but the parents were not able to care for them. Many of them came extremely malnourished with no clothes on. Part of the agreement is that the girls will all do well academically and behaviorally in school, and if any issues arise either at school or at home, the parents are called and the girls are asked to leave. Obviously this hasn’t been an issue because these are the absolute sweetest girls I have met! They all have had such different and challenging pasts, but they truly are a family and love one another well!

I consider myself very blessed to go and spend time with the girls. I have spent mornings helping them shower and get ready (Ashley Crowder-if you read this, I have a new found respect for you and all the stylish hairdos you give Yeni…that is not easy work), afternoons reading, playing games, dancing and singing and nights again showering, worshipping and singing. Although I am starting to learn a little creole, these little tykes can fortunately speak some English so we can communicate. And of course, dancing and singing and praying are somewhat universal and bring us together.  For the last several nights, I have gone over to help with their bedtime routines. They shower, put on pajamas, take what seems like a million different vitamins and medications and then we all gather in a circle on the porch, hold hands, recite Scripture and sing. I am inspired, yet a little convicted, because these little girls have entire Psalms and Bible passages (keep in mind, most of them are under the age of 5). Memorizing scripture is something I have wanted and known I’ve needed to focus on for a while now, but have always found some excuse to put it on the backburner. My favorite Psalm they recite together is Psalm 100, and so I have committed to memorizing this Psalm (and hopefully more) while I am in Haiti.

I have included pictures from the House of Hope, and ask that you pray for these sweet girls and the family they have created in the last 2 years….prayers for strength, for health, for the Lord’s guiding hand in their lives. And prayers for the staff members at the house; they have a housemother, a cook, a cleaner and a gatekeeper. They live there 7 days a week and have very little time off. I don’t know how they keep up with these little ones, but I am so thankful for loving on these girls so well.  I hope to have many more stories about them to share with you all! 

 Dafka (5 years old) and Rebecca (6 years old):

 Clarafina (4 years old) and Dafka: both of these sweet girls were in the hospital for 3 days last week, thank you for your prayers! They are all better and full of energy!

 Clarafina:

 Roberta (5 years old):

 Lumiantha (4 years old):

 Rebecca (6 years old), Megina (4 years old) and Jessi:

 Winderlande (11 years old):

 Breakfast time:

 Lumiantha:

 Attempting to take Clarafina's braids out:

 Beyonce (2 1/2 years old):

 Duilanda (4 years old, Duilanda came to the House of Hope 2 years ago weighing only 10 pounds, she's a little miracle baby):

 Chrislande (4 years old):

 Widlande (8 years old):

 Megina 4 years old):

An Ode to Education

During my time in Haiti, I have spent a lot of time with the administrators and teachers of the 4 HOM elementary schools. While many of our ideas and practices are similar, the structures of the school systems are very different. In Haiti, going to school is not a guarantee. Few teachers are actually certified and even fewer schools are accredited. To get into an HOM school, children must be 3 years old when school starts in September. They also must have a birth certificate and a vaccination card; both of these documents are very rare in Haiti. There is one day a year at 10:00 am when registration is held at each of the schools. Parents begin lining up around 5:00 am to get one of the 60 spots for the Pre-Kindergarten class. These spots go quickly and several parents and kids leave crying when they are told there are no more spots left. My first question was, well aren’t there other schools they can go to. And here’s the answer for that…

Attending an HOM school means more than a education, it is health and nutrition, Bible studies and classes, English classes and most importantly the hope of a better future! Most of the parents are uneducated and are illiterate; the children will most likely be able to read and write at levels beyond their parents in the first grade. If the parents are one of the lucky ones to have a job, they would make on average $1 U.S. dollar a day. Being accepted into this school means benefits for the entire family. Because this is a Christian school, children often come to Christ through the school and also ask their parents to begin coming to church as well. If there are problems at home, there are people at the school to counsel and work with the parents and educate them about parenting and raising Christian children.

When you are accepted into the school, you receive the following:

·      2 pairs of school (one in September and one after Christmas break)

·      2 uniforms (fabric is given to the parents with a pattern and most mother’s sew the uniforms)

·      Belt, underwear, socks, undershirts (For many children, when they come to school, this is the first time they have had any clothes of their own.)

·      A backpack and school supplies

·      Vitamins each morning

·      Medical and dental treatment when needed

·      A hot meal for lunch (Many children bring an empty lunchbox and fill it up with leftovers from lunch and bring it home for dinner and to share with their family members.)

What also sets HOM schools apart is they are the only schools in Haiti to teach English to the younger grades. They take kids at 3 years old because they usually come malnourished, must teach them their names and how to keep their clothes on, must potty train them, teach them to sit in a chair at a table and must teach the children discipline. There are 3 years of kindergarten (Pre-K, K1 and K2). Upon completion of these 3 years, there is a graduation ceremony and a celebration. This will be next week, and I can’t wait for this special service. They are also the only schools in the Port Au Prince area to have a library. There is a Haitian National Exam that kids are required to take in sixth, ninth, twelfth and thirteenth grades. The passing rate for this exam is extremely low, but HOM students have nearly a 100% passing rate. Without a passing grade, a student can not go on to the next grade. Teachers prepare their students all year and sixth graders come to school on Saturdays and through the summer until the exams. Prayers for these students who are taking the exam today! I’m blown away to see teachers working with the older students studying and reviewing for these exams late into the night at the church and in any room where there is electricity.

Having worked with the teachers and students while I’ve been here, I realize how much I take my education and our school system (although definitely in need of improvement) for granted. These students show up each morning all clean and tidy in their uniform. Despite the fact that they are most likely living in tents with no power and no running water, rarely do you see any students with stains on their uniforms. The parents clean their black shoes and make sure the shirts are tucked in and for girls, their hair is pulled with back with bows right before they drop them off. The reasons behind this are that parents are proud to send their kids to school, kids realize how lucky they are to receive this opportunity and the entire family supports this child because they know that a chance at a good education means a chance for a better and brighter future!

All of these kids have my heart and have forever changed my life! I hope you enjoy these pictures and get a glimpse into the lives of these little angels! I know many of you may or may not be interested in education, but it truly is the key to rebuilding Haiti! 

Too-Te-Ta

This week we have 3 teams in town so it will be pretty crazy! A high school/college group from HPPC came on Saturday… it was good to see some familiar faces and even better that they brought me some things I’d forgotten and a surprise package from my bible study! It made my night to read all of the notes and words of encouragement they had sent me! I was able to work with the Highland Park group on Saturday at Cite Soleil. We painted some of the rooms and ceilings that will be the vocational school and the dental clinic when they are finished. This was a project that we started in March when I came last time and is almost finished. Like I had mentioned earlier, it is really exciting to see the progress being made on all of these projects!

We went to church yesterday at Cite Soleil and heard a very energetic preacher speak about the importance of the father in a family! Even though it wasn’t Father’s Day in Haiti, it was timed quite perfectly for the few Americans in the crowd! Just another reminder of how thankful and beyond blessed I am to have a spiritual role model and lifelong supporter like my dad. So a very Happy Belated Father’s Day to Buz/Daddio!!! I love you so much! In the afternoon, a group visiting from North Carolina invited us to go to the beach with them. We went to a beach called “Obama Beach Hotel.” For those of you who know my family or me, you know this was a challenge, but I did enjoy a nice meal and some time at the beach, so I guess I can’t complain too much! So mom, that one was for you.

Today (and I hope for the remainder of the week), I worked with an education team from California. They are all teachers or staff members at a Christian Preschool. They are here to work some with the students but predominantly with the teachers. The first 2 ½  hours are spent doing activities with both the students and teachers, and the last 2 ½ hours are just working with the teachers and giving them ideas for their classes. I love all of the teachers and admire how hard they work even during the summer time. They have so much energy and didn’t hesitate to jump right in and get the kids excited about the songs and activities. We started off this morning teaching them “The More We Get Together” and a fun song called “Too-Te-Ta.” The second song was a definite hit with teachers and kids alike! I will share some pictures (and possibly videos if I can figure it out) on the blog! We also read “Brown Bear Brown Bear” by Eric Carle and did a sorting game and a memory game with the animals from the book! I loved their ideas and the kids did too!!!

Not much else to report here…. It’s hot hot hot as usual and busy with all of the groups here!! I really like that I can float between groups and help out where I’m needed, but also pick the activities that interest me most, which often involve working in the schools with the sweet kids!

Mammasita, this picture is taken special just for you: 

 Sweet Clarifina is all better and all smiles:

Ronnie helping with the Brown Bear memory game: 

 PreK kids sorting Brown Bear pictures:

Too-Te-Ta with the group:

 

Jessi and Pastor Leon getting in on the Too-Te-Ta action: