October 25 – Starting distribution of food

 After nearly two months work with the World Vision to get our school into the program, today we started distributing a cooked meal to all the kids in school. While the menu is basic (rice and beans, beans and rice), we’re sure this will become a major event in the school day. Including the school staff, we distributed nearly 380 plates!

October 22 – Cholera outbreak in Haiti

Yesterday afternoon we got the sad news of a cholera outbreak in Haiti. Despite the fact that the epidemic is to the north of Zoranje, we think a school environment must be a safe and protected place. Since our school doesn’t have running water (yet!) we are taking the threat very seriously and this morning set out to ensure proper hygiene measures exist. We added water points around the school with chlorine tablets. All kids got explanations and instructions on what they can do to protect themselves. As a precaution we put a ‘guard’ near the toilets to ensure all kids understand and follow our new hygiene rules. We pray that this outbreak is kept under control and doesn’t spread into the densely populated Port-au-Prince with its many tent camps.

Kindergarten kids lining up to wash hands

October 11 – School opening

What a day. Excited kids, accompanied by their parents started arriving as early as 7 AM, looking for their classes and checking out the new school. By 9:30 all the classes made first introductions and came outside for a small ceremony for the opening. It’s amazing how fast a nice building becomes a school when the kids start coming in with their backpacks and uniforms. 

Very exciting! children and parents arriving on the frist day

Anet, a kinderkarten teacher

Opening ceremony

Getting to know each other while having fun

W

October 8 – Kindergarten Tent

Our Petite Section – the smallest kindergarten kids will be located in a tent at least until we build a separate section for kindergartens. Today, with the help of quite a few village volunteers we carried and set up the kindergarten tent inside the school perimeter. We are now all set for the Monday opening. The teachers will spend the weekend decorating their classes and preparing for the new school year.

The tent before we moved it

October 4 – Book distribution

Today we distributed books and backpacks to all the kids in the school. Each teacher prepared in advance and gave out books to the kids in his/her class. So – this was also the first meeting between the kids and their teachers. We didn’t count exactly, but we distributed over 3000 books!