Summer & Tutoring:
Summer has officially begun and life in Haiti is HOT but the children are having fun. Their days are spent playing soccer, jumping rope, singing and dancing, helping with chores and creating fun out of anything they can find! They are enjoying Vacation Bible School groups that the World Wide Village interns hosted and have heard God’s Word. Enjoy this short video of what your sponsored student might be up to this summer!
While many of the children are just enjoying playing, some of the students are using these summer months to concentrate on their education. Just like in the United States, some children struggle to learn more than others. Other students miss months or years of schooling because their parents cannot afford tuition before they are sponsored. Thanks to you, these children are able to attend World Wide Village tutoring sessions this summer.
These sessions are designed to help children who may have failed their year-end exams to concentrate on areas where they struggle. The sessions will also help children who have never had the opportunity to attend school. Our hope is that tutoring will allow them to catch up enough to be able to start school in the fall.
Pictured: A tutoring session with Belange
Belange – the new World Wide Village tutor – is doing a wonderful job with these children. He is not only teaching them reading and math, but also building confidence and challenging them to do their best each day. Please pray for these children and Belange this summer. Education is such a blessing for these children and we want them to thrive!
Small Business Start-Ups:
Last month we introduced you to Nelson, a 27-year old young man who lives in Williamson. Here’s a little more of his story from one of our wonderful interns!
About 6 months ago, Nelson received a small business loan from World Wide Village. With that small loan, Nelson started going to school in Port-au-Prince to learn how to make sandals. Not long after that, he started up his very own sandal company!
That’s right, all of these sandals are made entirely by hand, starting with the raw materials. He can make 5-7 pairs of sandals in one day! Nelson comes up with his own creative designs, and frequently creates new products—his newest being sandals that have been hand painted by local Haitian artists in his community. The profit that Nelson makes from these sandals goes straight to putting food on his table, providing for his family, and growing his business.
Our interns are working with Nelson this summer to continue expanding his business and marketing his products. He has recently started selling his sandals at the LaFito Grill in Haiti.
World Wide Village is focused on empowering and equipping job-makers, and Nelson’s story is a prime example of that principle. As Nelson’s business continues to grow, he will be able to employ more Haitians for the various tasks involved in mass production. This is a huge success for Nelson as he builds his own company and makes a living! This is also a success for WWV, for our vision is to equip small business owners and market their very own Haitian-made products, allowing them to employ their Haitian brothers and sisters.
This story is a sneak peak at what exactly WWV is doing here in Luly & Williamson; we get the pleasure of partnering with and coming alongside the Haitian people. Nelson’s story is one of many, and we are excited to celebrate his resilience and success with you!
Pictured: Nelson with his sandals