We recently had the pleasure of hosting Mark and Judy Bloomberg as long-term Britsionarys! Our long-term program is designed to bring professional level volunteers to Haiti and contribute to the overall programming in a meaningful and significant way. While we use local talent as much as possible, when the need for very specific skill sets exists, it is through our Britsionary program that we are so often able to fill that need! We asked Mark and Judy to tell you all a bit about their experience here at Be Like Brit! We hope you enjoy what they have to say!!!
By Mark & Judy Bloomberg
Mark's Contribution:
Judy and I have been to many third-world countries and have made a conscious effort to visit remote villages and see how they live, often without many of the basic necessities we take for granted. We were therefore not surprised by the lack of services available in the general Haitian population. What was inspiring however was the way the BeLikeBrit orphanage has created an oasis of joy within what is admittedly a very challenging environment. Seeing the orphanage filled with its full complement of 66 children and how they are happily thriving in the midst of this poor country is a wonderful treat for the soul. In a country where clean water, basic sanitation, accessible health care, primary/secondary education and secure housing is usually lacking, the children at BeLikeBrit are in the unusual and very fortunate position of having all of these in abundance. What is most exciting is to consider what these children will be capable of in the next 10 - 20 years, having been blessed with good health care, good nutrition, consistent and intensive education (with fluency in Creole, French and English) and a supportive loving environment throughout their formative years. They will be truly poised to become vital contributors to a better Haitian society. I can't wait to see how they turn out!
My specific long-term Britsionary project is to assist BLB in the design and implementation of their desired effort to expand the medical clinic's services beyond the current BLB children and staff. To that end I have prepared a detailed analysis which seeks to identify the barriers that must be overcome, how that might be accomplished, what resources are needed and a potential timeline for taking action going forward. My hope and expectation is that my effort will sow the seeds of better health for the entire Grand Goave community.
The best perk of being here long-term is the ability to interact much more with the staff and children than is otherwise possible when here for only a week. Judy and I were overjoyed when BLB accepted our project proposals and gave us to go ahead for a month-long stay at the orphanage.
For anyone considering a similar effort, my suggestion would be to start with asking what BLB itself needs and whether you have skills that can further their goals. With our respective medical and educational backgrounds, we found we were a good fit for BLB's needs. It is important to be an independent person, tolerate limited resources and embrace the ambiguity inherent in any third-world country and be able to work in a self-directed manner with the occasional guidance as necessary from the BLB staff. For the right person with the right skill sets, the opportunity to see this beautiful country, meet its people and visit this truly amazing orphanage is the experience of a life time.
Judy's Contribution:
I have been searching for an opportunity to make a contribution at a place like Be Like Brit for a long time. Four years into my retirement from teaching, I was looking for an opportunity to give back to others in return for all of the good fortune I've had throughout my life. I was hoping to find a volunteer opportunity that would make use of my years of teaching experience, as well as my knowledge of French. (Although I started my working life as an elementary school teacher, Mark and I lived in France for a year, and I spent the last seven years of my career as a high school French teacher). As someone who lives in Massachusetts, I was familiar with Brit's story and was very impressed to learn about the amazing work that CherylAnn and Len had done in establishing the orphanage in just a few short years, so a long-term opportunity at BLB seemed like a perfect fit.
I was accepted for a month-long stay, to work on making the good educational experiences that the kids have here even better. That involved helping to evaluate many of the kids (particularly those who were having difficulty at school), helping to mentor the caregivers and teach them new educational games and activities to use with the children, helping to make improvements to ABCMouse (the computer-based learning system that is used here after the kids return from school), and searching for appropriate reading materials for the kids to use in the on-line "Library for All" program that BLB hopes to begin using on a regular basis.
I feel like I accomplished a lot of things during my stay here. I sat in on all the classes at Mission of Hope School and St. Francois School, where the children receive the bulk of their instruction. That allowed me to see what the children were being taught at their main school, so we could better tailor after-school activities here at BLB to their needs. It also gave me a great insight into how the Haitian educational system is structured, and how it differs from that in the US or Canada. My work in mentoring the caregivers was one of the most worthwhile parts of my stay, because they were so receptive to learning new techniques and attempting new things that may have initially taken them outside of their comfort zones. I especially treasure the close relationship that I developed with Peterson, Gina, Coach, and Jonathan. It makes me really sad to leave these new-found friends, but I am grateful that I had the chance to get to know them and sincerely hope that I'll be back to see them again.
The kids were a treasure as well. Although there were ones that I got to know quite well and others whose names (I am embarrassed to admit) I still can't remember, I love them all! One of the fun things that I did with some of the older girls was to set up an after-dinner "reading club", where the group of about six girls and I chose a book from the "Library for All" program and each took turns reading a page out loud to the group. It was a great opportunity for them to expand their reading horizons, tackling books beyond what they encountered at school. I loved how they helped each other with difficult words and created a really supportive environment. It was a ton of fun for me and for them, and you could hear their laughter and giggles halfway down the hallway. I was delighted when one of them said that the movie (the evening's activity) was about to start and the others replied "No, we want to stay here and read". What a reward for me!
I had an absolutely wonderful experience at BLB. I highly recommend it for retirees, especially teachers, and I definitely hope to be back soon!
