Our child advocates in Haiti just wrapped up what they consider to be one of the highlights of the year for our child advocacy program: Summer Camp!
Many schools in Haiti organize summer camps for their students. However, while more fortunate children hop off to camp, children living in restavek are left behind to complete their household chores. Restavek Freedom’s advocates recognized this injustice and decided to create a special camp for the kids in the child advocacy program. They determined from the start this wouldn’t be your average day camp; rather, building from the insight and understanding they have of kids living in restavek, they designed a summer experience tailored to meet their unique needs. Natacha explained, “We know that typical camp games develop kids’ intelligence, allow them to become familiar with other children, build social skills, and help them grow in self-confidence; however we wanted to take this camp one step further.” Twenty-nine staff members and volunteers poured their hearts into creating a safe environment packed with ”love, attention, patience and joy for these vulnerable children who normally don’t have time for fun, for children who spend most of their time working.”
The camp ran the month of July in two different schools that partner with Restavek Freedom. Marie Yolaine shared how blown away the staff were the first day when more children than expected showed up. Nathacha chimed in excitedly, “The camp was so popular this year that we had a record number of kids, with more and more children coming every week!” Together, around 150 children flooded both camp locations each day. Nadine related one of the most touching aspects of the camp: older high school students from the child advocacy program came out to help lead the younger children in their activities.
Camp kicked off every day at 9am, with the kids being organized into two groups: 1st-3rd graders and 4th-6th graders. The theme this year was Educate Ourselves while Enjoying Ourselves. There was no shortage of learning and fun, as the kids excitedly engaged in French, English and math tutoring, music, painting, macramé, drawing, sports and more. Osbert creatively used music classes to teach songs in English. Robenson, the designated “sports coordinator,” emphasized how stress-relieving the soccer games, running, stretching and even relaxation exercises were for the kids. Nadine expressed how the kids loved learning new skills, saying, “I won’t forget the light in one girl’s eyes as she finished the handbag she made from two beautiful bandanas.”
The staff even went the extra mile to teach the kids about such pertinent issues as children’s rights, health, hygiene, and the environment. Pre-teens even had a sexuality education class, where they learned about puberty, relationships, communication, anatomy and health. Free time was also carved out, where the kids could enjoy jumping rope and playing soccer, cards and dominoes together. Natacha expressed, “This program was a breath of fresh air for the children; day after day they came excited to participate in the camp activities. We saw joy, peace of mind, and a sense of calm on their faces…it seems they experienced this for the first time.”
While the kids thoroughly enjoyed all of the camp activities, there was one time of day that was hands-down everyone’s favorite: meal time! Every day, after the kids had learned together, played together, and laughed together, they sat down and ate together. They were given a hot meal that included such delicacies as rice and beans, rice with vegetables, chicken, salmon, spaghetti, cookies, juice and “lots of water”! Natacha quipped, “The children called this ‘the great moment’!”
The very last day of camp was perhaps the most memorable for everyone. After several weeks of participating and learning, the kids had their chance to shine. Taking the stage, they read poetry, sang, and danced. Most moving of all, they acted out a skit on children’s rights for their advocates. Nathacha expressed how proud she was of them, saying, “The final day was so powerful. It was such a wonderful surprise seeing how the kids organized themselves so well.”
Robenson revealed his eyes were opened through the camp: “This was a beautiful experience in that it allowed me to see another side to the children.
There are some children in our program who struggle to get good grades in school, but we realized through camp that many excel in manual trades or have other extraordinary talents we didn’t know about! For example, Jean showed me this summer what comedic talent he has. And Sarah showed us what a great dancer she is! I was blown away by the talent these kids possess.”
The camp had a far-reaching impact, as Nadine conveyed; “The kids learned so much about themselves, including their own potential. They spent time with advocates who showed them their worth, gave them a voice, and provided space for them to learn and enjoy themselves.” Natacha spoke for everyone when she said, “All of the advocates felt proud and overjoyed to take part in the summer camp…throughout the entire month we were reminded how important our work is. We saw the impact we are having on these kids’ lives, and how we are bringing them hope.”
It’s beautifully clear the advocates thought this camp was an incredible success…and what did the kids have to say? Natacha revealed, “They say they will never forget camp! Some talk about the new things they learned, others treasure the time they had with the advocates…but above all, they hope there will always be a summer program to look forward to!”
