A Week of Thanks

During the week of November 25, I was part of a group of American and Haitian artists and volunteers who facilitated an art camp called Diaspora of Hope Artists on Call at St. Vincent School for the Handicapped. This event, coordinated through BuildaBridge-a non-profit organization based in Germantown, Pennsylvania, that brings hope and healing through the arts to challenged communities locally and internationally- had been in the planning stages for many months. The original site was to be Trinite Music School, an academic institution of the Diocese of Haiti renowned for its training of aspiring musicians. The day before the first of the American members of the team were scheduled to arrive, a change of venue was necessary. With the blessing and approval of the Diocese of Haiti, St. Vincent School for the Handicapped opened its doors to the program.

The team was incredibly understanding of the last minute change and actually excited about working with the children of St. Vincent. In truth, however, no one on the team had any formal training in working with children with physical challenges. This, coupled with a language barrier both with in the leadership team and the children, made for an unusual set of circumstances. In addition, most of the training materials generated by BuildaBridge had not been translated into French and Creole. This meant that the American members of the team had to do their best to communicate the mission and vision of the program as translators then tried to convey the meaning. All in all, it was a step of faith for all of us!

Each day of the camp brought more synergy among the leaders and the children. We became a family within a family. Thursday was probably the most transformative day of the week. Everyone seemed to grasp the routine and understand the expectations. We concluded that day’s program feeling very ready for Friday’s final performance.

There were many memorable moments to the week. Let me share some of my favorites: the simultaneous singing with voices and sign language- it was true poetry; the day that one of the Haitian musicians came in with a new song and the Haitian drama instructor with a second play, both inspired through the experience; Dieumain Cloristin, a young woman born without arms, dancing the Compas and performing in the dramas; a student with MS and a guitar slung on her back having a star role in the drama “She Can Be President”; the deep relationships fostered among the leadership team and the tremendous sacrifice of the Haitian artists, some of whom travelled two hours each way to participate; the physical connectiveness with the children as the blind familiarized themselves with you by touching your body or your face and those who were deaf and mute tapping or grabbing you to get your attention; and the flock of students who surrounded Mona, the drama teacher, to ask for guitar lessons. And, in keeping with the week, Mona is excited and willing to provide the lessons. So, we are now on a campaign for guitars!

For more information on BuildaBridge, the sponsoring organization, and all three Diaspora of Hope locations-Guatemala, Haiti and Kenya- go to http://diasporaofhope.blogspot.com.