Encouraging the Girls

Last Friday afternoon, twenty Espwa girls arrived at the Quad between the ages of 12 and 16 with one house mother to supervise. They piled into the chapel and patiently waited for a lecture from five Haitian university women from Les Cayes.

Each of the university girls introduced themselves. They explained what they studied at college and all of things that people could study: medicine, agronomy, secretarial or administrative studies, business, nursing. They emphasized the value of hard work and the importance of education.

Each university woman spoke and stressed to the girls that they should be thankful for the education they already have here. They told the girls they should recognize their role models at Espwa and make sure they thank them every day. It can be hard for women in Haitian society, they said. None of their mothers went to college and they didn’t work outside of the home. But the future for women in Haiti is different. Their speech encouraged our girls to push the boundaries of what is expected of them.

“It’s not ok, if you tell me I have to do those things you expect of me. It is not ok to humiliate me or to minimize me because I am a girl,” they said.

It was a wonderful chance for our girls to hear these confident, articulate, Haitian women tell them not to give in to what society has always expected of them.

“Can you cook?” they asked. “Sure, maybe you can, but that’s not all you can do. You can work hard and study and save up money and you can be whatever you want. Don’t get distracted. Stay focused and don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do because you’re a girl.” 

With women like these as role models, we know our girls have bright futures ahead of them. We look forward to many more visits from our new friends.

Cross Stitching for Cash

Our visitors from New Jersey and Connecticut brought down a load of materials to teach Espwa students how to cross stitch. The visitors helped the students learn the basics and do some practice. Out of dozens that attempted, a handful of students have shown some serious stitching skills. And contrary to Father Marc's expectations, the male students showed the most enthusiasm! 

The boys and girls who are interested and passionate in pursuing this hobby will also earn some money for their work. They will cross stitch personalized ESPWA hand towels, water bottle holders, cell phone cases, and bookmarks to sell to visitors who visit Haiti and craft fairs in the United States. All of the materials for these items were donated by Linda, Ann, and Pam, which means both Espwa and the student artist will receive all of the profits from these sales. We are excited to see the kids invested in this opportunity, and motivated to continue their cross stitching skills!

FTK Board Visit

The Free the Kids/Espwa relationship can be challenging sometimes because of the distance between Greensboro, North Carolina and Haiti. But it always helps when the FTK board members come to visit! Bob and Neil had a week full of productive face-to-face meetings with the Espwa directors, and got a good idea of what needs to happen on both ends to progressively improve the Project. They had a few moments to play with the children between their meetings, which served as a powerful reminder that all that tough administrative work must be driven by a greater force, and for Bob and Neil that force is love for the kids. 

Thank you Bob and Neil for a great visit, and for all you do for Free the Kids! We hope to see you back at Espwa soon. 

The Finishing Touches

Last week we had a group visit from Maine to paint sealant on the new dining room roof. In just three days, with the help of some of our older boys, the Paul, Dennis, Anne and Carrie completed the task. They came back each day covered in white paint from all their labor, but now the roof looks great and will not leak when kids are eating inside of it.

We can wait for the kids to begin eating together "family style" in the building. Thanks again to our visitors from Maine for the roofing project! And many thanks to Thomas & Carol Cracchiolo Foundation, Cross International, Robert Krebs, Gate City (Greensboro, N.C.) Rotary Club, Shepherd of the Hills Church, Eden, WI and Auburn-Lewiston  (ME) Rotary Club, and The Dugas Family Foundation for making this dining room project a reality.

Family Reunion

Many of Espwa's children are not true orphans. They may have a living parent, but they are unable to provide for their child, so they bring them to Espwa. A lot of visitors ask if the parents ever visit their kids. Sometimes they do, like last week when Magalie came by to visit her four Espwa kids, Semana, Caroline, Juno, and Junoson. She is a single mother abandoned by her husband, and she is raising her fifth child at home alone in Camp Perrin. The reunion was a special one to witness, as the family talked and played. It was visibly difficult for Magalie to say goodbye, but she also showed great pride in the people her eldest daughters are growing up to be, and knows that is because of Espwa, a place of opportunity and hope for her kids.

Raffle Fundraiser for Espwa

Here's a picture of the quilt for Sue's raffle this year.  It measures 98" x 98", so will fit a queen size bed.  We'd like to thank Harriet's St. Hubert's quilting circle, for once again donating another beautiful quilt.  Tickets for the quilt raffle are $5.00.  The drawing will be held on Oct.11, 2015. 

If you would like to buy tickets, or take some to sell, please email Sue at sjvaliton(at)yahoo.com. And good luck!

Eat Like Espwa

Please watch our video for an idea of how you can contribute to Espwa during this season of Lent. We challenge you to "eat like Espwa." Once a week during Lent consider having a simple plate of rice or bowl of soup for dinner. Post a picture of your meal on our facebook page and think of Espwa. Donate the money you would have spent on that meal to Free the Kids. Go to www.freethekids.org to donate to "Eat like Espwa."