June 2016 Update

Dear friends of Matènwa,

Picture this: It’s the 18th of May, Haitian Flag Day, and the streets of Matènwa are filled with the sounds of MCLC students and teachers marching and singing about their flag. “My flag, my flag, my beautiful flag!” Created by Dessalines, sewn together by Catherine Flon.” Some are donned in their flag colors of blue and red and others are proudly waving flags. All are joyfully singing in the traditional parade and will wrap up the celebration with more performances at the school assembly. How we wish you could have joined us to share in the fun!

Beyond Nutritional Health

One of the bonuses of having a school vegetable garden is the opportunity to teach students about the nutritional value of the plants they are growing. This naturally encourages a more balanced diet combatting malnutrition. With the addition of classes with the school nurse, students are learning about their overall health and the common diseases affecting their community. In the lower grades, the nurse is currently teaching a series of lessons on protecting the body. This month she led a discussion on how microbes can enter ones body when playing in the dirt. While we encourage students to explore their environment, we also want them to keep their bodies healthy/safe.

Training Updates

In May, we hosted teachers from several partner organizations on Lagonav and from the mainland. Alliance for Children sent two separate groups of teachers from Kenscoff for weeklong trainings on the Education Is Conversation program and the Mother Tongue Book methodology. A group of 4 teachers from Haiti Partners and another 6 from Community Coalition for Haiti also came for Mother Tongue Books training. These groups had an opportunity to observe how our students eagerly write, illustrate and read their mother tongue books.

Our SASA! Rethinking Power team held a special training for teachers from MCLC and the Christian Union School, a partner school in Matènwa. The goal of this training was to

create a network of teachers equipped with the knowledge and skills to intervene when there are power imbalances between women and men. The community is glad to be engaging in this work to balance power.

Sincerely,

Samila Edmond, MCLC Direction Committee &

Chris Low, Executive Director FoM