Collecting Used Eye Glasses for Haiti

 

 

Bonjour friends! PECH Haiti/100 Schools 4 Haiti is now collecting used eye glasses and cases for children and adults in Haiti. Our goal is to take 100 pairs of glasses to those needing them in Haiti.

 

We are also looking for an eye doctor who can volunteer a few hours of time to help us figure out the prescriptions of the glasses.

 

Do you know an eye doctor? Can you take up a collection of glasses at your school/work/place of worship?

 

Please mail to our organization at:

 

10102 Rolling Ridge Rd.

Colorado Springs, CO 80925

 

 

Donate to our other projects too!

 

Our First Music Class

Teacher Franz teaching recorders to the Haitian children

Thanks to those of you who donated recorders, we were able to begin a music class at Gentille Hirondelle elementary school in Tabarre, Haiti this winter. Haitians are very talented musically, so the children have picked up how to play the recorders easily. We got to sit in on one of the music classes a couple weeks ago, and it just warmed my heart to see the children playing those recorders! The music teacher is a wonderfully gentle Haitian man named Franz who was one of my adult English students when I taught English in Haiti in 2011. It was great to see him working with the children!

The only thing I didn't like about the music class is that at the end of class, the children just toss the recorders into a box and the next group of kids comes in and grabs one to play. No washing or sanitizing at all! In general, there is lots of germ sharing in Haiti-thank goodness Haitians have such strong immune systems! I collected enough recorders for each student to be assigned one, and the school is working out a system to do this. Things "disappear" easily in Haiti, so I've suggested asking each family to pay a $5 deposit for each child's recorder. This way the students can bring them home to practice without the fear of them getting lost/stolen/sold/etc. These types of systems are new to the school, but I'm sure they'll have worked it out by my next trip.

Music class in Haiti

Even Kasia, Christel, and Mario were playing recorders!

Recorders for Haiti

Haitians children learning recorder

Coloring Easter Eggs with the Haitian Children

Coloring Easter eggs with the children in Haiti

Last week in Haiti we asked the children to bring 2 hard boiled eggs to school. After explaining the symbolism of Easter eggs, each child got to dye his/her eggs. Since this was the first time they'd ever done it, we expected they'd proudly take their colored eggs home to show their family. Instead, they gobbled them down as soon as they finished coloring them! I suppose the idea of having a egg sitting around without being eaten is a strange one in a country where food is scarce and nothing goes to waste. Regardless, I think the kids enjoyed it!

Easter in Haiti

Showing the Haitian children how to dye Easter eggs

Legos with the Haitian children

Our Lego project with the Gentille Hirondelle elementary school children was a huge success! At first, the Haitian children hesitated, not knowing what to do with the colorful Legos. They kept calling, "Madame Julie! Aidez-moi!" (Ms. Julie! Help me!) After they figured out how to put the pieces together, they began making little creations. Some followed the directions from the kits, and others used their own creativity. They were so proud of the things they built and wanted to take them home with them. We immediately noticed that a few of the children have very engineering-oriented brains because they caught on quickly and dove into their projects.


I felt the children really enjoyed working with the Legos, especially since they rarely get to play and they have few, if any, toys. I also think it was very therapeutic for them. The school plans to continue working with the Legos once a week to help foster basic engineering skills and build creativity. I can't wait to see their designs and creations next time I go back!

Thank you to all of those who donated Lego's for this project!

Legos in Haiti

Look at my creation!

 

Even the Haitian teacher got into the Legos

Look what I made! Legos in Haiti

working together in Haiti