As I am sitting in my home office surrounded by my laptops, iPad, Smartphone, and other gadgets, I started to think about the Haitian children and how rich they are. Then I gathered the pictures I took of them while I was Haiti. I saw freedom and happiness. They are not beholden to technology. They appreciate the little things in life. They have freedom to be children.
One of the things I learned about these children (those who live in the country), they walk about one or two hours one way to school. In Port-au-Prince, I saw in the Marché (The Market) where they would go and buy used books for their education. In Jacmel, there is one school (ACFFC) that focuses on the Arts while providing education. This school provides two meals a day and is in session from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. In Jacmel, there was one library. It was the same library that the ACFFC children donated their services and created a beautiful mural. In exchange, these children were allowed to access to the books.
Lastly, please check out Art Creation Foundation for Children (ACFFC) in Jacmel ( http://www.acffcjacmelhaiti.com/ ) and donate. The donation does not have to be money. It can be books, art materials, clothing, and/or whatever you can give. They just had their first graduation this past May and as the director informed us these graduates have were no other opportunities to continue their educational and artistic growth.
In retrospect, these children are so much richer than me. They have an appreciation of education and the simplest things. They have the freedom to be children rather than being burden by technology. They can freely go to the beach to surf, paddleboard, or just swim. They can play fútbol (soccer) in the streets. They can freely walk their town with no concerns. They are protected and loved by a village….a village of loving and strong Haitians.
What I saw was love, beauty, and appreciation. Enjoy the pictures of some of these children and just maybe we can walk away from our technology and enjoy life.