News Update: VBS Camps for Kids
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March 12, 2010 - For seven weeks, thousands of Haitian children have lived in crowded tents or on the streets with no focused activity and no hope of schools opening any time soon. In response, Compassion Haiti staff is organizing multiday camps to help address the psychological, physical, nutritional, and cognitive needs of our registered children. By Leura Jones and Amber Van Schooneveld, photos by Ricot St. Paulin and Ephraim Lindor Aiming to reach 10,000 of the area’s 12,823 affected registered children, the camps began in the last week of February and will continue throughout Compassion's various child development centers. The theme of the camps is “Do not fear” from Isaiah 41:10—“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
For six days, children gather in the courtyards of their child development centers at 8 a.m. For the next eight hours, they participate in spiritual activities—prayer, Bible meditation, singing—physical activities such as sports, dancing, and crafts, and activities designed to address some of their deeper psychological needs. The children are excited and relieved for a chance just to play a simple game of dominos with friends and share a hot meal of rice and beans. But the camps are also meeting a deeper need. The earthquake has left many across Port-au-Prince, children included, suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder. Forty trained social workers and psychologists, including some LDP students, have been deployed to the centers to meet with children individually and in groups for trauma counseling. They are also identifying those who need further psychological evaluation and follow up.
Another aspect of the camp is prevention and disaster response. Not having experienced a major earthquake in their lifetime, many Haitians didn't know how to respond—simple things such as seeking cover under tables or in doorways. As Haitians experienced aftershocks for weeks after the earthquake and are still leery of being indoors, over the course of the camp, seven hours are dedicated to helping the children understand the cause of earthquakes and what to do before, during, and after them. As the rainy season will soon begin in Haiti, which heightens the spread of disease, health specialists are also on the scene to discuss hygiene issues and preventative measures the children can take to protect themselves from sanitation-related diseases. Immunizations will also be given to those children considered most vulnerable. Kids of all ages are benefitting from these camps, such as Lemaguerre Edouard (HA806-0672), an 18-year old boy, who stated,"We thank Compassion for such an initiative. It helped me not staying in the neighborhood thinking of anything wrong related to the earthquake that could come to your mind to get you down. Here, I have had fun with other children, learned new songs and games and ate together. I wish it could just go on." Estaphonie Laloy (HA806-0220) is a 16-year old girl who is a student representative at her project. She spoke for the children in her project, saying, "Compassion has gone beyond our expectations. We thank the staff for putting all their energy on that. We also thank the cooks for serving us good meals twice a day. I feel that I will leave the place different. I am more equipped to face new challenges both psychologically and cognitively." Although "normal" will never return to Haiti in quite the same way, it is important for the children to return to some sense of daily normalcy. These camps will help do just that. In addition to providing a safe, engaging place for children who have missed two months of school, these camps will jump-start Compassion's regular project activities and create momentum for their eventual reopening.
Author: Leura Jones & Amber Van Schooneveld |
