Our team of five volunteers (Sara Mansbach, Elaine Thena, Marianne and Tom Dennsion, and Marianne Bessy) had a very productive first week in Cange.
Sara, Elaine, and Marianne B. observed classes at Bon Sauveur and La Pléiade school to assess needs and familiarize themselves with the Haitian education system. On Thursday 3/8 and Friday 3/9 Sara and Marianne B. led a preschool teacher training for 21 preschool teachers of the Central Plateau. Strategies for picture book sharing and teaching songs were discussed. Teachers familiarized themselves with three new books in Kreyol that the team brought over: Kabrit Mawon, Kabrit Mawon; Kouri Vit Tankou Tchita; and Bouki, Malis, Zanmi. Some highlights of the training days were: teachers creating their own picture books, teachers recording and listening to songs they teach their students, and seeing how much teachers have learned from the November training. Volunteers enthusiastically shared books for the group and participated in all the group and individual activities we had planned out for them.
On Wednesday we all traveled to Port-au-Prince to buy construction material for Tom who is currently working on shelving and cabinets in the library. We also visited several bookstore in the capital and had a very productive meeting at Fokal, where Dada, the Cange librarian will be trained, starting March 19th.
Artist Marianne D. has been working with enthusiastic young local artist in the Cange Art Center.
They are all enjoying her drawing classes.
We are thrilled to be part of the Cange community for a little while, to learn from its amazingly inspiring inhabitants and community leaders, and to contribute to the bettering of the educational experience for its children through the development of the library and the training of its teachers.