"Education is the work of your entire life."

Trainer and Educator, Manache, leading his colleagues

"Edikasyon se travay la nan tout lavi ou."  This is Creole proverb that means, "Education is the work of your entire life."  It is humbling to realize that the desire to learn and advance one's life is a universal characteristic.

As I reflect on our first teacher training and the interviews and conversations I have had, it is clear that education is the primary focus of most Haitians.  In a conversation with a dozen women at Rebuild Globally each one mentioned that their primary role as a mother was to try to find a way to educate their children.  In our preparation meetings for the Williamson teacher training the teachers acknowledged the fact that education is the key to the future of Haiti.

In Haiti, 95% of schools are privately run.  The Ministry of Education has a national curriculum for all grades and nationwide exams for 6th grade, 9th, 12th and the equivalent of 13th grade.  Private schools tend to be run like a business unless they are affiliated with an aid or faith based organization.  Since many of the public school regulations are not specifically enforced in all private schools, there are several teachers working in classrooms with very little professional training.

20 teachers joined us for the Williamson training

Last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I had the pleasure of hosting a teacher training in Williamson.  It was an amazing experience!  We all learned a lot from each other and I was impressed at how eager the teachers were to learn more about education and their jobs as teachers. 

This experience started as a dream of mine in the U.S. as I prepared for this summer internship.  I have realized in my many trips to Haiti that the greatest need here is access.  People are interested and willing to improve their lives and to help their families and communities succeed.  Often the barrier is finding ways to access information, education and the ability to sustain such programs. 

The teacher training is a good example of just this.  At the end of June I met with all of the teachers that work in Williamson.  After sharing our teaching joys and challenges, we started talking about professional development.  Most of the teachers working in Williamson want to teach, enjoy teaching and recognize the importance of a quality education.  Most of them have no official training in the field of education.  Everything they know they have learned through experience. 

From L-R: Karissa, Manache, Pastor Joussaint, Lexius

Thankfully, there was one teacher, Manache, who has a teaching certificate from a university and is connected with a man, Lexius, who works for FONHEP and is contracted out from the Ministry of Education to lead trainings.  What an amazing connection.  I came to Haiti wanting to learn more about the education system and to offer Haitian to Haitian teacher training.  Last Thursday and Friday were an answer to these prayers! 

small group lessons

The teachers learned, some of them for the first time, about a yearly curriculum, general and specific objectives, how to make your content fit your objectives and how to successfully manage a classroom.  It was like trying to cram my entire undergraduate degree into 2 days!  The teachers were so appreciative to have this information and participated fully in small and large group lessons as well as some “student teaching” opportunities. 

I learned a lot too.  Mainly, education, at its core, is the same no matter where you are.  Class size matters, quality of teacher matters, a supportive administration matters, access to materials matters, love of teaching matters, teacher-student relationships matter.  The National Curriculum of Haiti is not that different than our national standards in the U.S.  The difference is the accessibility to learn about and put these foundational ideas into practice. 

Hymn of Haitian Teachers
Roughly Translated: The education and future of
the nation is resting on our teachers.

Everyone walked away from this experience wanting more.  The teachers in Williamson want trainings every three months.  I want to investigate the possibilities for more professional schools or certificate programs for Haitians who want to pursue education as their career.  I want to continue learning and sharing with my colleagues here about the future of Haiti and the role educators, not just education, has on its potential.

Thanks so much to everyone who sponsored, prayed and supported me through this process.  It truly could not have happened without your generosity!!  

Closing Doors

I have been thinking about this post for a while and now have a little time to write it.

If you have been to Haiti with me you might have been to visit the children at Tree of Life Orphanage.  In fact, when I first visited Martine and her beautiful house full of children, there was a big part of me that thought this was where god wanted me or my church to form a partnership.  The kids are well taken care of both physically and emotionally and they share so much joy with each other.   There was something about them and their quaint house and school rooms that seemed manageable.  I thought, if I could just take care of these 30 kids, and make sure they succeed, all would be right with the world.

Well, god had another plan.  Tree of Life is closing.  Martine is ready to move on and start her own family, there is not adequate and sustainable funding.  WWV's commitment has always been for supplemental food supplies, basic health care, fellowship and programming for the children.  At this point it would be a lot for WWV to take on owning and operating this home and to be honest, not a sustainable solution.

So the interns have been placed in a challenging position.  We are, for lack of a better term, supportive advocates for Martine and the remaining children.  24 of the 29 have been sent home to their families.  We have no idea what this means for them as they were sent to Tree of Life for a reason - lack of money, food, interest, and limited access to education.  I pray every day that their needs are being met and that they are adjusting to life with their family.   2 of the remaining 5 were just placed in a wonderful facility very close to Tree of Life, but they were only able to accept 2.  The 3 left are becoming more of a puzzle.  Ultimately where to place them is Martine's decision.  We help to facilitate phone calls, rides and a sounding board for her thoughts.

Truth be told, it is really hard to be in the middle of deciding someone's future.  Wondering if the decisions Martine makes will lead to abundance of life or not for these precious children.  One thing I know for sure, they are strong and filled with god's spirit and joy.  For this I am grateful.  I pray that wherever they end up they will not loose this faith and spirit.

(I hoped to add some pictures and a video - but we have been without city power for a couple days and I just don't think the generator or batteries is powerful enough to upload!  I will post some asap!)

Roller Coasters

This week has been challenging.  Being here is an emotional roller coaster for so many reasons.  Just when I think I have figured some thing out, god throws another curve ball my way.  To say I feel lost is accurate to an extent.  But I don't feel lost everyday.  To say I feel frustrated is also accurate to an extent.  There are day to day issues that happen that in my mind don't need to happen.  But they do, and  by god's grace I am trying to work through them.  To say I feel discontent is probably the most accurate way to put it.  Thankfully, I think feeling discontent is god's way of encouraging me to act.

As I wrestle with what all this means and what god is trying to show me I keep asking all these questions:
Am I making an impact?
What happens when I leave?
Is there someone that will follow up with the people I have come to know?
Am I adding to the problem, or supporting a solution?
Am I really capable of helping to create change?
Who can I trust?
Where is god in this?

I got some much needed clarity this morning on my run.  One of my favorite things about our village is that people start sweeping, washing, traveling to work and hanging out by their gates very early in the morning.  I have had the pleasure of meeting neighbors on my route that I talk with everyday.  Today I met someone new and his words have stuck with me all day.  He is Haitian but spent time in the US for school and is now back managing the Honda/Acura dealership here.

He reminded me that Haiti is full of beauty but it also has the power to really crush you.  Being here is not easy.  He is right.  The truth is I have felt the most peace of my life here, and I have equally felt the most pain.  They are both real and both part of who I am.

As we continued to talk about how I am spending my time here, he was encouraged to hear about my philosophy about supporting the efforts and ideas of Haitians and working along side them to help them create the changes they want for their community.  He left me with some encouraging words.

"A supportive word or an act of encouragement goes much further than a million dollars."

For this I am grateful.  Grateful that a stranger can kick me in the pants and say what you're doing counts.  What Haitians are doing matters.  What we are creating takes forever but is long-lasting, sustainable and powerful.  My job is to serve wholly, to listen fully, to support humbly and love god by showing respect and love to everyone I meet.

My Week in Pictures

I sometimes have trouble capturing memories and moments with my camera or on video.  However, this week we were able to celebrate some really amazing events with our Haitian friends and visit interesting places!  I thought I would share a few with you!

Haiti's History

Neg Mawon

 Jean-Bertrand Aristide monument - Eternal Flame 

         

Toussaint L’Ouverture Monument

National Palace (still in ruins)

Martine's Birthday Party!

Manno's Wedding!!

Field Trip to Rebo Espresso in Petion-Ville!  Delicious!!

"Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors."

The United Methodist Church started a campaign in 2001 to help bring new light to the denomination.  "Open Hearts. Open Minds.  Open Doors." has worked to welcome new members into our congregations and to make sure we are open to meeting people where they are.

As I am living in Haiti this summer I have felt this unbelievable calling to model radical hospitality.  The motto of my church home is ringing through my ears every minute of every day.  Am I welcoming others into this shared space?  Am I truly honoring and respecting each person for who they are and where they are in their life journey?  Am I am sensitive to the needs of others?  Do I really take the time to see people and do they know how much I really want to hear their stories and be in community with them?

Most challenging for me is knowing how and when to stand up to injustice that happens in small ways each and every day.  This daily challenge can seem like a mountain that is too tall to climb.  This is not just a problem in Haiti, but it seems god has chosen my time here to refine my threshold and tolerance for not loving your neighbor as yourself.  I am finding it challenging to know what to say, when to say it and most of all, if I should say it.

My go to solution for most things is to attempt to show others another way, to lead by example and hope they will take notice and develop an interest in changing their own behavior.  You might call that passive aggressive, and I would agree.  Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a big fan of conflict and would prefer if we all just got along!

However, now is the time.  God has placed me here, in this position to empower and liberate in the only way I know how - radical love and a commitment to bring a voice to those who need to be heard.  My constant prayer is from Isaiah 61:
 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because God has appointed me to set at liberty those who are oppressed and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

For those Celtic Woman fans out there - I have also been relishing in a song called "One World."
Here are the lyrics and now my daily prayer:
"We're all apart of one world. We all can share the same dream.  And if you just reach out your hand than you will find deep down inside your just like me!"

Please remember in your daily comings and goings out of people's lives that god values and loves each one of us and that we are called to do the same...no matter what.