Volleyball Comes to Espwa!

A big thank you to our friends from Ohio for taking for their first of many visits to Espwa! 

While Haiti is the land of "football," the group was able to introduce a new sport to Espwa--volleyball. It took the kids almost no time to learn a sport that you play with your hands and not your feet! 

They also shared the hymn, "Shalom" with some of Espwa's older boys, who were able to translate the words into Creole so they could share the song in both languages.

Looking forward to your next visit!

Thank You Gary and Audrey!

A big thank you to our friends from across the pond, Gary and Audrey, who donated much-needed medicine to the clinic such as antibiotics, vitamins, pain relievers, cipro, and anti-itch cream.

During their time here, Audrey helped organize and record inventory in the clinic as well as create a system to keep better track of medicine coming in and out of the clinic.

Gary was an invaluable resource spending his time working with some of the older boys on various projects throughout Espwa such as clearing a space for a potential future chicken coop and building a goat pen. 

Thank you both for being such great mentors and role models to our students!

The Next Chapter

This weekend Espwa hosted a celebration in honor of the 113 young men over the age of 18 that are graduating from Espwa this week.  These men will be part of Espwa's new transition program, which aims to help transition Espwa's older residents to life outside of Espwa's walls. 

Through this program, Espwa has committed to fund two years of additional schooling for each individual, whether it be in Espwa's schools or in off-campus professional schools, where they can learn skills to enter into fields such as plumbing, hospitality, or truck driving. This education will help increase their chances of sustaining themselves in a country with roughly 46% unemployment.

We approach this coming week with excitement for each of these young men as they start a new chapter in their lives. But while education consistently is proven to be a gift that can keep on giving, it can come with a hefty price tag. The off-campus schooling alone is estimated to cost $160,000. 

If you would like to help Espwa invest in these young men's futures, please consider making a donation to Free the Kids. We are looking forward to what will come from the vast potential these young men have!

Nou Bouke

Espwa's in-house music group, Babtime released it's newest music video, "Nou bouke," which means "fed up" in Creole. As Espwa blog-post subscribers you get first access to listen to the newest music from Espwa's talented group!

Golden Gifts from the Golden State!

The kids had a blast with our friends from Southern California this past week.

Not only did they bring puzzles, water balloons, and fun games, the girls also brought some great dance moves, and tons of positive energy! They even added a performance to the Specktak show!

Thank you for sharing your talents, gifts, and love with Espwa!

Thanks Kelsey and Rachel!

This past week Espwa said a sad goodbye to Espwa's 2014-2015 Guesthouse Managers. Kelsey and Rachel did a wonderful job over the past year welcoming visitors from across the US, spending quality time with all of Espwa's children, and helping make visitors' stays memorable experiences. They truly made a positive impact at Espwa!

On behalf of the Espwa community, we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors and cannot wait for them to visit again!

Time for a Check-Up!

This past week, nursing students from Missouri spent their time organizing all of Espwa's medical files and performing wellness exams on each child. 

The exams included testing each child's eyesight, blood pressure, heart beat, height, weight, and overview for any injuries. 

When they weren't busy with the wellness checks, the group organized a massive water balloon fight and taught some of the kids how to make toy cars. 

The kids and staff had a great time! Thanks for sharing your talents and time!

Off the Grid!

Thanks to our friends from Indiana, the Espwa Quad now has an alternate electricity source--the sun! 

After searching extensively for solar panels in Haiti, a team of university students from Indiana finally got their hands on some, which they were able to install on the roof of the guesthouse.  Haiti is notorious for its unreliable city power, which forces Espwa to run a large diesel generator everyday to fill in the gaps. Running the generator is expensive, so Espwa is trying to reduce the amount of diesel it must purchase. According to the team, with the addition of the solar panels, Espwa could save approximately 350 gallons of diesel each year, and have the bonus of offsetting around 7,000 pounds of CO2 each year!

Also, the team shared their expertise by teaching science classes to some of Espwa's students. The kids really enjoyed learning about all different topics!

Thanks for sharing your talents!

Bonne Fete Maman!

Yesterday Espwa celebrated Mother's Day! All of the kids and staff came to the chapel for a celebration of all of Espwa's mothers and the hard work they put in to take care of all of Espwa's children.

The celebration included performances by some of the kids--from dancing to singing to reading letters of appreciation.

At the end of the performances, Nancy, our Director of Childcare, presented each of the house mothers with a special gift, a cold drink, and a yummy piece of cake.

And like most Espwa celebrations, the day ended with a dance party!

Thank you to all of the mothers who take care of our children. Espwa couldn't run without all of your hard work!