By Laura Polynice
This summer for the first time, PLH hosted two months of classes for kids in the community. During vacation, children and youth in Haiti don’t have a lot of activities or events to keep them busy. This July and August, kids came to PLH to learn English and artisan crafts. The kids enjoyed having somewhere to go each day and enjoyed learning the new skills.
This past Sunday, the PLH staff organized an expo and invited the parents to attend. This was a chance for the kids to show off what they had learned and made and for the parents to support and celebrate their kids. We were pleased by the number of parents that attended.
There were several tables set up at the front on which the kids displayed their handmade goods including bracelets, woven hats, macrame hangings, necklaces, and sandals.
The program started with English demonstrations. Students came up in pairs and performed little dialogues in English. Then Teacher Sondy led the students in a competition similar to Simon Says and the winner took home a brand-new, insulated water bottle – a prized commodity around here. Finally, they performed several songs including Head and Shoulders and a song of the months of the year.
SIMON SAYS
After the English portion, all the artisan students came to the front. Their instructor, Pierre Claude, quizzed them on some of the vocabulary related to artisan trades with a group of eight girls competing against a group of eight boys.
Finally, the parents and guests were invited to come up to look at and purchase the artisan goods that the students had made. Each purchase was an encouragement to the kids.
Benedic encouraged the parents to support their children in their new trade so that they can continue to advance their skills. The artisan class will continue each Saturday during the school year. Two parents shared some words congratulating the students on their efforts and thanking PLH for this program. As always, I was asked to speak. I congratulated the kids on their beautiful work, thanked the parents for coming out to support their children, and thanked the PLH staff for putting together this 8-week program.
Rose-Andre and several others worked all morning preparing a special meal for the students. When the program was finished, the kids lined up and excitedly collected their meal and hurried home to beat the rain.
This summer was the first time in three years that the PLH Haitian staff have been left to run things without myself or Guesly present. It is so exciting to see the staff take charge and put on a great program. They came up with the ideas, set the schedule, carried out the classes, and organized a great celebration to wrap it up. I am proud of them. I look forward to continuing to have the artisan class for the kids each weekend. The pride on the young people’s faces as they showed off and sold their goods was inspiring. This evening was a representation of what PLH wants to bring to the community: opportunities to learn, a community that comes together to support one another, and pride in a job well done.