Adele Lawlor
Viatores Christi
Haiti
Adele Lawlor, is a Training and Development facilitator and volunteer with Viatores Christi in Haiti.
I am a fulltime volunteer for an organisation
called "Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs" (Our Little
Brothers and Sisters). The last two years have
been spent working at Ste Helene Orphanage with
our older children aged 17 to 19. Recently, I
began a new programme to help prepare these
young adults for life outside our gates. Through
workshops I encourage teamwork at all levels and
seek to teach life skills that may not be easily
learnt in a disciplined environment.
Our activities have been varied and those the
children most enjoyed were the real life
scenarios. Planning and putting together a
nourishing menu, shopping in the local open
markets, managing their allowance and learning
how to barter. The concept of recycling and
making paper or heat blocks (a substitute for
charcoal) fascinated them. Learning how to
recognise medicinal plants and roots was a great
experience. Discovering the possibility of
collecting water without rain was almost a
miracle. Pollution and conservation a new idea
altogether. The Haitians are hard workers and
the older children were keen to get involved in
community projects such as digging drains,
repairing roads and fences, and planting trees.
Work experience introduces the children to a
good work ethic, disciplined structures,
responsible behaviour and good time keeping. We
are always looking for ways to increase their
social awareness and also ease their passage
from dependent to independent, and hopefully
this type of programme will have far reaching
benefits. We’ve had great fun together and at
times I felt a bit of a fraud because I was
enjoying myself so much. As the programme
developed I was amazed to see the most unlikely
children emerge as leaders or carers and how so
many hidden talents blossomed. On a personal
note, my life is the richer for coming to work
in Haiti. To see people, who struggle on a daily
basis but never lose hope, is humbling indeed.