Green Fingers

Today Cameron, our resident horticulturist, and some of the other volunteers visited the girl's domes to help plant some Moringa trees around the property. Cameron taught the kids how to help dig the holes and plant trees inside, filling each hole with dirt and surrounding it with rock to keep the Moringa in place.

When the trees flower they will give some extra shade for the girls to play under and add some fresh greenery to the place. The kitchen will also be able to continue to use the leaves to cook foods with extra nutrients for the kids with the ongoing Moringa project.

All of the girls at the domes helped out today with the planting and even some of the babies lent a hand shoveling rocks.

Many Hands Make Light Work

"Men anpil chay pas lou." In Haitian Creole: many hands make light work.

Last night a shipment container arrived from some of Espwa's supporting organizations. The container was filled with boxes of nutrient-rich food that greatly helps supplement the diets of those at Espwa. And when we receive a shipment like this, many of the older students gather to help unload the boxes from the trucks. Each box is passed or tossed down the line of Espwa students into the building where they can be unpacked and stored for later use.

All across Espwa you could hear the commotion last night as the container was unpacked over the course of an hour or so and the pile of boxes in the storage building grew. After all of their hard work emptying the massive truck, the students celebrated with soft drinks for everyone.

We're looking forward to putting the new supplies to use that are such an important part of Espwa's food supply.

First Responders

Kudos to our long-term volunteer Mackenzie from NJ, on holding her first week of CPR/1st aid classes for Espwa students. The inaugural class is small but very enthusiastic, and we're looking forward to much more participation to come!

Reunion

This week we welcomed back Amanda and Fritz, two old friends and members of the Espwa family. They've come to visit us with some of their family, including their two little girls - who are the same age as our youngest. Here's Mia, on the right, playing with Jakson; two sides of the same family.

Solemnity

A very solemn day yesterday, when we held Ralph's funeral service and burial. Staff, students, friends,  house mothers, and acquaintances were all there. It was a very emotional moment for us, but one of release and hope.

Big Day

Yesterday was a big day for some of our young men and women who received First Communion, like Sam here:

Days like these are important for the kids; like landmarks in their journey of faith, they give them a spiritual foundation and strengthen their relationship with a God who loves them. Congratulations, guys!

Leafy Greens

Horticulturalist Cameron in his natural habitat: our densely-packed Moringa grove. The Moringa is a versatile tree that thrives in tropical areas; its leaves are packed with vitamins and used for medicine across several cultures (including Haitian herbal culture). Every part of the tree is useful in some way, and Cameron's been helping us grow more and more to have at our disposal.

Mme. Denault, the head cook, shreds harvested Moringa leaves to mix in the Saturday stew. It's a small addition that makes a world of difference, giving a great boost to the meal's nutritional content. It's still a young project and a new concept, but here's to looking forward where it can take us. Here's to good health and leafy greens.