By Dr. Max Jean-Paul, New York
Only a month has passed since Hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti and left families and children homeless, without access to health care and access to schools. Support is welcomed and continues to be needed. I planned a relief trip, and put out a call for support. The NYC community responded. I was able to send ten barrels of supplies consisting of toothpaste, canned food, notebooks, and school supplies. A team of educators, Principal Claubentz Dieujuste, Jesey Dieujuste, Harold Simeon , Michelle Legall , and myself made the commitment to make the trip to deliver these goods and to see firsthand the challenges faced and to help with the recovery.
It was a pleasure and honor to visit both Renaissance Academy and the local botanical Garden in Les Cayes, Haiti. The students and staff welcomed our team with the school song. It was amazing to hear the voices of the children rise above the disaster and their personal struggles.
At Renaissance Academy, professional development workshops were provided by the visiting team of educators on strategies on how to empower the local community to move forward after Hurricane Matthew and engage parent to support the efforts of the school. The students face many obstacles with housing, transportation, and other stumbling blocks from Hurricane Matthew, however, they remained resilient.
As I reflect on my journey to Haiti, I was happy to work with a community of educators, schools, churches, organizations, foundations, and businesses. Despite the disaster, the students continue to show their strength and commitment to get up and go to school.
If you have any questions or feedback for Max, he can be reached at maxjpdoe@gmail.com. Feel free to discuss this and other topics in our Facebook group.
