Dear friends of Matènwa,
Happy 2016! May this new year bring you success, health, and prosperity. Because of your support, we had a great 2015. Our students and teachers had all the didactic materials they needed to work. Students had a nutritious breakfast every morning enabling them to focus on learning throughout the day. Matènwa teachers participated in monthly workshops to hone their teaching skills. Many school teachers and principals across Lagonav and from the mainland came to Matènwa to receive training in our educational methods. You are really making a difference in how more and more children are having a positive education experience in Haiti.
At our annual year-end party we celebrated our successful semester. On December 24 each class performed a song, dance, or a play for their parents and family. It was very festive! After the performances, parents received their students’ report cards with pride.
Training Update
December 13th a group of 5 people from Kenscoff sponsored by the Alliance for Children Foundation arrived for a one-week training. After observing the MCLC classrooms, a participant commented: “In my opinion, a school like MCLC is very important. I like its methods because the children and teachers work in collaboration. The school gives students a sense of responsibility. For example, students have a list of jobs to do in their classrooms. I like how the classrooms are structured. The children are learning in Creole, which is fantastic! I also like the class morning meetings: they get to express what is making them happy or sad. This teaches students how to socialize. What I liked most was the breakfast program where they give children a meal every morning before they go to class. To me, this is fundamental.”
As a component of our partnership with Beyond Borders,
MCLC’s Institute of Learning has been training a small group of teachers in an accelerated education program for overage students. These students had never attended school before either because their parents could not afford to send them or because they were Restavèk (child servants). The teachers in this program came to Matènwa to work together for two days to prepare and review the materials they will be using in their classrooms starting this January.
Samila Edmond, MCLC Direction Committee and Chris Low, Executive Director FOM
