Basic school materials you and I would assume to find in all school classrooms are obsolete in Haiti. Delmas 33 is a school located in one of the poorest areas in all of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When I arrived to visit the school with the Convoy of Hope intern group, the school was in much less than a desirable state. The needs were seemingly overwhelming to the school director: giant holes were in all seven of the chalkboards and the frames were breaking, there were an insufficient number of benches for the students and the existing benches were unsafe, the roof had fallen in on the kitchen and storage area, no cabinet space existed, the school lacked dishes for the students, and much more. Not only was the school director discouraged but so were the students and parents of the school.
Look at before photos…(left below... old chalkboard the school had been using, right below... section of roof that had collapsed)
When we volunteered to help the school through building new desks, putting on a new roof, constructing new chalkboards and storage cabinets, and purchasing dishes, the community was overcome with joy. Children and adults alike, many not even affiliated with the school, came to help. The end result was a school director and students that were blessed beyond belief and a community that was given a new sense of pride and joy. A little gift of compassion really did make a huge difference.
Look at the after photo…
(left...doing homework with the children on the new desks and chalkboards)
