Our Children Are Special

“My name is Darlande.” 

With those four words, this quiet fourth grader in fact spoke volumes.  Why?  Because Darlande spoke them in English.  Now, it is not necessarily important that the students at the Center of Hope school learn to speak English; it is not one of Haiti’s official languages.  But in Haiti, as I began to learn this last week on my first visit to the country, the language one chooses to use to communicate with others—particularly those one has just met—conveys a message. 

To put simply a concept that is far more nuanced than this blog post will allow, the Haitian “elite” and those who want to demonstrate their status will speak in French.  Haitian Creole is the language of the “masses.”  By answering my question in English, Darlande was telling me that she is smart and she is somebody to pay attention to.  By the way, her response to my next question, “How old are you,” was in French.

I had several goals for my short visit to Hinche, one of which was to gain a deeper understanding of why Center of Hope is special.  Of all the projects and relief efforts in Haiti, what is Center of Hope doing—what are your donations doing-- that can make a difference?  My brief conversation with Darlande showed me that Center of Hope is letting the students’ potential shine. 

At the end of the school day, Darlande goes to a home without a kitchen, a bathroom, or even a floor.  There is no electricity at her house.  She, or one of her three siblings, will no doubt have to walk some distance to fetch water that might not even be potable.  It is likely she had her only meals of the day when she ate breakfast and lunch at school.  She will come to school on Monday probably having eaten very little over the weekend. She attends school at Center of Hope-- where there are no school fees and all school supplies including uniforms and shoes—because her parents cannot afford to send her to school. 

Darlande and the other students get a respite from the noise, dust, and piles of garbage that line Hinche’s streets when they arrive at 7:45 in the morning to raise the flag in front of Center of Hope.  Here, rather than sit in overcrowded classrooms on rickety wooden benches, straining to hear the teacher, the students are in classes of no more than 15 students.  There are posters on the wall with maps, charts, and pictures.  They have access to clean, indoor bathroom facilities and drinkable water.  The grounds of the campus are kept meticulously clean. 

In just two more years, Darlande will have more education than the average Haitian.  This educational opportunity, which is unparalleled in Hinche, is only possible because of your generosity, your compassion, your recognition that, “yes, these children matter.”   Thank you.

Darlande knows her own importance and intelligence.  We want to continue to provide her and the other students with a place for their potential to be nurtured and to flourish, but we need your help.  Right now, classes are being held in spaces originally intended to be the cafeteria, multi-purpose room, and dormitory for any orphaned girls taken into our care.  Click here to donate to our campaign to build a dedicated school building.

Your donations have given Darlande and the other students an opportunity to reach beyond the impoverished circumstances of their birth.  It will still be some years before we know who Darlande-- the tri-lingual young girl content for now to jump rope under the mango trees-- will grow up to be, but my bet is that it will be something quite special.