Bon fet, Nancy!

Yesterday we celebrated Nancy's birthday. Nancy is our Director of Childcare, which means she coordinates various activities for the children (such as English Club and field days), listens to their needs, and manages how donations are dispersed among them.

Her office is always busy, but the staff took a break yesterday afternoon to surprise her with cake and champagne. Happy Birthday, Nancy! We are grateful for all you do.

English Summer Classes

In addition to the fun outdoor summer camp many of the Espwa kids attend in the early morning, some of the older boys have taken it upon themselves to teach English classes later in the day. About six older boys who speak English, offer these classes to boys and girls of all ages to teach them some of the basics of the English language. They hold classes in the school building on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9-11.

The students are making great progress and some classes have already learned greetings, body parts, and colors. We hear kids practicing their new language skills in the village, repeating the new words they've learned in class. It will be no time at all before they'll be able to have basic conversations with some of our english-speaking visitors.

Learning doesn't stop at Espwa during the summer! We wish the older boys good luck as they pass on what they know to the younger kids!

World Cup

Soccer fans around the world are caught up in the thrill of the World Cup games, and Espwa is not left untouched. Almost everyday, a small crowd gathers around a tiny TV set to watch the match.

From the guesthouse, we hear bursts of excitement periodically - usually when Brazil scores -cheering, clapping, booing, and the enthusiastic Haitian sports announcer blaring "GOAAALLL." Even with the simplest of viewing parties, Espwa's barefoot-playing soccer fans are loving the World Cup. 

It's pretty cool to see everyone huddle together for the love of futbol. The older boys making bets on their favorite players, the nearby kitchen staff sneaking a peak between their work, and the little ones mesmerized by the screen, with the dream of one day playing professional soccer twinkling in their eyes. Today, Germany and Algeria are playing, and tomorrow, the US takes on Belgium. Hope you all are enjoying the games as much as we are here!

Exam Days

We are currently in the midst of exam month in Les Cayes. Each week students from each grade must travel downtown for three days of examinations. The results of these exams will determine whether students are ready to move up to the next grade or not.

Yesterday morning, some of the staff prepared the Grade 9 Espwa students for their exams, providing them money for taxi rides downtown and food. This is a photo of the Grade 6 students who had their exams last week.

Everyone is studying hard here at Espwa. We wish them lots of luck on their exams!

Summer Camp

Today was the first day of Espwa's summer program. Most of the kids stay at Espwa even when school is over, so this is a great way to keep them active during the summer time. 

Morning stretches. 

The camp is organized by the older boys who lead the kids in morning stretches and ref soccer matches throughout the upcoming months.

Singing the Haitian national anthem before the match.

All ages are able to participate, and those who don't play enjoy watching their peers from the sidelines. 

A great start to a fun-filled summer!

Visiting Doctor in the Clinic

This week one of our visitors volunteered in the clinic. When we have a visiting doctor or doctors, Espwa's clinic is able to see more patients for more hours from the local community. Dr. Bob has been seeing patients during hours opposite of our resident doctor, Dr. Pierre.

One of the Espwa students, Dillance, has been helping Dr. Bob translate for the patients and has even taught him some medical French Creole. They've become good friends this week. Thank you Dr. Bob for your help this week!

New Dresses

Today we are thankful for the "Prayers and Squares" sewing group from Grace Church in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. They spent hours sewing beautiful dresses of all sizes for the 40 girls at Espwa.

Sonice striking a sassy pose. 

It took several people to help arrange the girls in order from tallest to shortest ("plis gran" and "plis petit"). But the chaotic arrangement was worth it when a wide smile spread across each girl's face as a colorful dress was placed in their hands.

The girls looked fantastic in the bright shades of pink and blue and orange-- a needed addition to their often dirtied and torn play clothes. Thank you for your thoughtful donation, Prayers and Squares!