Announcements June 23 , 2007

Five staff members from Cotting School arrived in Haiti to assist at our sister school, Wings of Hope.




Sat. June 23:

We arrived safely in Port Au Prince today at 1:00pm. After clearing customs and navigating baggage claim, our friend KC met us. On our way to Wings, we took a quick tour of the capital city. We saw The Palace and monuments commemorating revolutionary heroes of the Slave Revolt of 1746. We also visited Trinity Cathedral with beautiful murals painted by local artists in the 1950's. Finally we arrived at Wings of Hope and were welcomed with smiles and
hugs just as if we were family!

Then, the skies opened up with a downpour of rain cooling things off. Tomorrow we have a full day planned so.....

Sun. June 24:

Up early and off to St. Joseph's via a Tap-Tap. Of course KC and Renee are
guiding us, but we definitely felt like adventurers!

We attended a beautiful service and then headed off to the ever-famous Kinam for lunch. Then off to Croix D'Bouquet, the iron village, an artist colony. We certainly saw our share of Haitian countryside, city side and markets.

We shared the day with Renee, KC, Renee's mom Lucy, nephew Peter, Tiffany and Sally from NC and Father Tony from Cincinnati. I'm sure Fr. Tony and Peter were thrilled to be with 9 women!

At any rate, a busy day ends with all of us making peanut butter sandwiches for tomorrow's beach day with the children from Wings of Hope. Looking forward to tomorrow's exciting community trip!

Ginny Birmingham


Riding on a Tap-Tap in Haiti







Stephanie and Ellie at Croix D'Bouquet


Haiti Day 3 June 25, 2007

What a day!! After waking to the chorus of roosters and a cow welcoming the
morning sun, we quickly dressed and went down to help a roomful of very
excited children put on their newly donated t-shirts, bathing suits, and
flip-flops. They were anticipating their yearly day trip to “la mer!”.
They then scurried to the dining room to eat an extra early breakfast of
peanut butter sandwiches, bananas and water (mamba, fig e dlo), another
treat! Very different from their typical morning “labouyi” (similar to our
cream of wheat).

Each child more than bubbled with excitement (think of senior class and the Disney trip…). By 7:30 we were lining up and boarding the rented bus and van. 23 students, Wings of Hope staff and our Cotting contingent then journeyed down the mountain to Port-au-Prince and off to the beach. 3 hours and approximately 75 miles later, through many small villages, and over some very bumpy roads (that would put Boston potholes to shame), we arrived at Moulin Sur Mer, our final destination! We all swam, splashed and played for over 2 hours, and then were treated to a Haitian lunch of either fish or chicken with rice, beans, fried plantain and pikliz (Haitian cole slaw) and spice cake. What a treat! More beach activities and swimming ensued before our tired lot showered, changed clothes and re-boarded our transportation back to Port-au-Prince and up the mountain to
Wings of Hope, and an awaiting dinner.

All in all it was about a 12 hour
“fieldtrip”… And the opportunity for the children, the many special moments
shared and experience for us, it was so worth it!

Regards from a humbled and very tired PT,
Barbara












Haiti Day 4
June 26, 2007

After our great adventure yesterday, we all slept well
last night. It was just clear enough this AM to make
out the ocean far off in the distance, the view is a
treat to wake up to. We started off the day by
heading down stairs to another great breakfast. Then
we split up and headed off to different classrooms in
Wings of Hope. Stephanie was in the dinning room,
which doubles as a classroom. She worked with Viviane
and Josephine trying out the Talk Back devices, while
she was learning how to say her primary colors in
Creole. In the PT room Barbara and Ginny were working
with the children and staff. Barbara also found some
tools and made same adjustments to a few wheelchairs.
At the same time Cathy and I were down in KC’s
classroom on the first floor. I walked in just in
time to catch the end of morning meeting, which made
me feel right at home. Later Cathy and I joined a
game of Go Fish with the class; the rules of the game
are just like at Cotting, adjustable. Morning classes
were followed by lunch with the children. We all
pulled up a chair and a student to feed. At 3:00 PM
we headed down the mountain, making one stop at an
over look. It was a bit overcast but we could see all
of Port au Prince lay out below us. Then it was back
on the van and down to St. Joseph’s. We were treated
to another great dinner at the school. We were not
their only visitors. They had a full house. After
dinner we climbed the stairs up to the theater and
enjoyed a lively performance by the members of the St.
Joseph’s dance group. They do a wonderful job and had
the audience (all 50 or so) up and dancing by the end.
After the show we said our goodbys piled back in the
van and headed back up winding road to Wings of Hope.
Some of our crew have already hit the sack and I will
be not be to far behind them. Best to all at home,
Ele

Haiti Day 5
June 27, 2007

Today was our 2nd day of doing school and therapy activities with the kids at Wings. It was also the first day we did not venture down the mountain to Port au Prince which was good, as we all needed a break from the bumpy roads, the smog, the heat, and the overall congestion of the city.

Up at Wings, the air is much cooler and clearer. The view from the back porches is that of breath-taking mountains green and lush... It almost seems like a whole different country until you look down, and see the trash everywhere, and you are instantly reminded of the challenges that people in Haiti face every day. Which makes the running of a place like Wings of Hope, in the midst of so many challenges, all the more amazing...

Today, we all worked with Wings staff in our respective areas. Stephanie spent the morning doing communication and language activities a number of the kids. Wings recently obtained 3 Go Talk communication devices, and she helped staff with programming them, and created activities for kids to practice using them. Ginny was in the PT room, helping with stretching, various therapy activities, and AFO adjustments. She got 1 of the kids to wear her AFOs and shoes for several hours, and had her up and using her walker for short distances twice! Barbara worked with Renee's mom, Lucy and nephew, Peter, doing a wheelchair clinic. They worked on a total of 5 wheelchairs ?fixing seats, laterals, broken cables, stuck wheels. She's still not satisfied with 1 of them, and plans to make more adjustments tomorrow and she already has several more chairs lined up to work on. Ele and I spent our time down in the main classroom.

The highlight of today's class time was a language arts activity led by KC. She called the kids to the table for Krik- Krak - Haitian storytelling. Ele and I were both surprised to see that today's story was something she had picked up at Cotting on her last visit and it was written by Daniel, a Cotting Lower School student! KC had translated his Pig Among Chickens story into Creole, and the kids just ate it up! They laughed and giggled, and we all had a great time. As a follow-up activity, she had created a tic-tac-toe game with pig and chicken markers, and we taught the kids various strategies to get 3 in a row.

After lunch, we organized an energetic game with a big parachute and a beachball, and the kids had a blast! Later, a brief afternoon shower sent everyone scattering for cover, and most of us ended up hanging out by Renee & KC's rooms ? enjoying piwilis (Creole for lollipops) and each other's company.

Cathy Mayo


Cathy Mayo, lower school teacher from Cotting, working in KC's Classroom


Tic-Tac-Toe in Haiti


Tic-Tac-Toe in Haiti


Stephanie Gulla, communications specialist from Cotting School, working with one of the students at Wings of Hope


Barbara Deluca, physical therapist from Cotting, fixing wheelchairs at Wings


Ginny Birmingham, physical therapist from Cotting, always brings a smile


Haiti Day #6 June 28, 2007

Another full day of school and therapy activities at Wings - the staff here continues to go out of their way to make us feel welcome. This is evident both in the hospitality they show us every day, the friendly greetings and hugs, the delicious meals, and the helpful Creole lessons. And also in the way they have accepted us as co-workers, and welcomed us into their classrooms and therapy areas. This being our second visit here, it really feels like the partnership and mentoring are starting to take root. Class activities, therapies, mealtimes, a marathon card game, ball games, darts, dancing, and just hanging out together... Another day spent with some truly amazing kids, and the equally amazing staff who take care of them.

Cathy Mayo


Wings7c - Ginny Birmingham


Wings8c - Cathy Mayo


Wings9c - Ele Coffin


Wings10c - Barbara Deluca


Wings11c - Stephanie Gulla


Friday, June 29

FRIDAY IS ACTIVITY DAY!!

Instead of classes and therapy sessions after breakfast, everyone gathered in the classroom for music and dance time. The "staff guys" banged out Haitian beats on their tanbous (drums) while 30+ kids joined in on coffee cans. Heavy beats, loud singing, and AMAZING ENERGY filled the room! We then split into activity groups. Barbara, Ele, and Cathy joined a group on a trip to a local park (their first visit to a petting zoo with a monkey and an alligator). Ginny and Stephanie helped with dance class (which for us untrained in Haitian dance was a work out!). Lunch time came and we took 7 kids out to lunch at the American-style restaurant next door. The hot dogs, chicken fingers, fries, and ice cream went fast - a big change from their typical afternoon rice and beans. After lunch, we each spent time with a Wings of Hope staff member - teacher to teacher, PT to PT, etc.- for a Q. & A. session. A time to talk our similarities and differences in our experiences working with kids with disabilities and a chance to brainstorm games, activities, and teaching strategies.

Well, leaving tomorrow :(. Like a fun vacation, the days have flown by. This trip has been especially exciting for those of us who were here back in November. We have gotten to see who has grown bigger, who is talking more, who has learned how to throw a ball, and who can now count to 5. We've watch these kids grow and learn like they are our own students. So, naturally, it will be hard to give final hugs and thank you's tomorrow morning as we say "au revoir" and get on our final van ride to the Port au Prince airport. We head back to Cotting with our memories in our minds and our Haitian friends in our hearts.