Armelle’s Trip to Haiti (2022)
The last time I was in Cap-Haitien was 4 years ago. This does not seem too long ago, certainly not compared to the 16 years since I first left the country as an international student. While many things stayed the same, I was surprised to see the vast amount of change that had occurred in those short 4 years.
International Literacy Day
In 1966, UNESCO declared September 8th #internationalliteracyday to raise awareness and concern for the lack of literacy that plagues so many places and children in our local communities.
7.2 Magnitude Earthquake hits Southern Haiti
As you all may have heard, the southern Haitian peninsula was hit by an earthquake early Saturday August 14th. Per UNICEF, the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks have killed over 2,200 people and injured more than 12,000 more
Our Statement on President Jovenel’s Assassination
Our team is heartbroken about the recent tragedy in Haiti that occurred early morning on Wednesday, July 7th. We stand in solidarity with President Jovenel’s family and the people of Haiti, who continue to unjustly endure so much.
Day 7: Farewell Performance from LPES students
Today was our last day working in Haiti. We arrived at the school this morning to watch a performance that the students had prepared for us. We waited for the drummers to arrive, then headed upstairs to find the 3rd floor cleared for a performance space and 8 chairs for us to watch their show.
Day 6: Zanmitay, Soccer, and Dance...oh my!
Whew! Today was our most productive day yet! When we got to the school, Anna, Fiona, Tim, David, some of the teachers, and a group of LPES students walked to a field to start soccer and dance activities. Anna lead a circle of dancers, while Fiona was over with the boys playing some intense soccer. It was so much fun to be outside with them! They are so funny and love to make us laugh.
Day 5: Cormier Beach and Resort
Part of our work here in Haiti is experiencing the beauty of the country. We checked into our hotel at Cormier beach early afternoon yesterday. Last night was full of laughs, adventures, and connecting with the native spirits. Today we spent a day relaxing and swimming in the beautiful, warm ocean. We all had a well deserved rest under the sun and ate delicious food.
Day 4: From teacher training to soccer...the work continues!
It was a busy day yesterday at La Pepinere Emmanual School (LPES)! Our day started early in the morning as we arrived at the school. The team immediately went to work, handing out and writing names on about 200 water bottles for the students. Along with the water bottles, we handed out rubber bracelets made by Skyview School students in Prescott,AZ
Day 3: First time visiting the school!
What a day we had today! We woke up early and got in the car to drive to the school. Along the way we got to see all of the children in their colorful school uniforms walking to school. I was surprised to see how small the school was when we arrived. It was a small three foot concrete building in the middle of a busy city street.
Day 2: The Bus Ride to Haiti
We woke up this morning after a long, restful sleep in Santiago, ate a nice complementary breakfast at the hotel, packed our bags and hit the road for the bus station. Next we waited a bit for the bus to come and then boarded our big yellow "Caribe Tour Bus". Once we received our complementary hot chicken and rice lunch, we were off! From the Dominican Republic to Haiti!
Day 1: Traveling to the Dominican Republic
We made it! After about 11 hours of straight travel from Arizona, we finally made it here to our beautiful hotel in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Haiti Trip Preparations!
As we get ready to travel down to Haiti, there are several things we have to prepare both at home and in the field. Along with packing the many supplies we will be bringing down, we have also bought brand new jewelry supplies for the Zanmitay girls. We can't wait to see what they make!
Changing the world one person at a time
What a difference 3 years can make!! Three years ago, I landed in Cape-Haitian after 19 years of absence away from my beloved city which has known such a glorious history and flourishing past.
Reflections on Haiti -- from Mike
The second independent country in the western hemisphere, Haiti was born of strife and has endured nonstop conflict since it's beginning. Upon landing, my initial impression of Haiti served to confirm many of the preconceived notions I had accumulated over the years about his country.
CPP Teacher Training
One of the highest priorities of the CPP sponsored trip to Haiti was to implement a teacher training pilot program for the staff of Le Pepiniere Emmanuel School (LPES.) After numerous conversations, observations of the students and teaching practices and recognition of the classroom facilities, we tailored our end-of-week training to address as many of the most important needs that we could.
Visiting the 8th Wonder of the World!
What an adventuresome day! It started off early by leaving the hotel before 8:00 am. After ½ hour of driving in the hot, crowded car, we arrived in Milot, a city at the bottom of the hill to the Citadel--the 8th Wonder of the World! A tour guide, also named Edy, jumped into the car and we took off up the steep, rock road to the fortress
Haitian H.S. Experience -- Sarah
Ok, so yesterday we left our hotel at 8:30 and went to College Notre Dame High School, where Martel, Gracie, Rodney, Mike and I would be visiting and observing. It is one of the best high schools in the country. It is a private school--which is what most of the schools in Haiti are. After arriving, the principal showed us to our first class.