Progress

It occurred to me that in the process of going out into the communities around Grand Goâve and meeting with family members and children in an attempt to bring those with the most urgent need into Be Like Brit, I have somewhat neglected to share with you all of the wonderful things that are happening already within our own very walls!  We now have 11 children living at Be Like Brit.  While this transition from construction of a building to creating a loving, nurturing home environment has been at times trying, I feel I have not communicated how great this experience has been, too.  Sure, we've had tears and emotions, fighting between some of the children - what family hasn't? We have also had lots of laughs, lots of fun, and most importantly, lots of love!

Meal times are always a bit of ordered chaos - but they are almost always quiet with plates full of food! 

One of the funnier things we've noticed as we bring in new children has been the reactions of the other children who are already living here at Be Like Brit.  As most of you know, Kervins (Chacha) was our first child to come home to BLB. He reigned as the first and only child here for about a week, and his reactions to the arrival of our new children have ranged from indifference to excitement to downright annoyed! In his most adorable, haughty just-turned-three year old way, his face will often scowl as he points and says "HEY!" with a bewildered look on his face. It's become a bit comical among the staff at how protective he is of his space, but we've also made great strides with him in this area.  With the arrival of a new child, we gather everyone together in their collective common area, their own "space", and introduce all of the children to each other.  In a fun name game, we see who can guess the names of the other children, who knows who the new children are, and who wants to be responsible for making sure they are welcomed with open arms.  I find this a great opportunity to see the older children step up and say they want to help! The purpose is two-fold, as it gives us an opportunity to reinforce the significance of each child's identity and place here at Be Like Brit.  To be fair to Chacha, he has been running a bit of a fever - so we think that may be why he's a bit grumpy.  He only takes his medicine from Gilbert - which is funny to us - but we're happy to have Gilbert on hand to make Chacha feel better when he needs a dose!

Like a good boy, but only for Gilbert! 

The children really do assimilate almost amazingly well.  I had anticipated the first few nights for each child to be somewhat tough - I expected lots of tears, for the children to be socially withdrawn a bit, and to some extent we've had that.  In every case, though, I am reminded of the amazing resilience of children in adapting to new environments.  It's never long (a night, maybe two at the most!) before everyone seems well adjusted to their new life and friendships are being made every day!

Socrate and Ephesiens - one caped crusader, one sweaty boy after running from his would-be captor!

Indeed, we are so blessed to have a great group - albeit a small group, we believe we are taking the necessary time and steps to ensure that the assimilation process into this new place is done with the utmost care and concern for all involved.  Sometimes I find myself laughing at the everyday chaos that ensues when you bring children from homes which consist literally of tarps and ropes with no amenities which we take for granted and introduce them to this very Western, very foreign home.

Believe me when I say that at times, one has to have a bit of a warped sense of humor to get through the day.  The morning, for instance, when one of our children was using the sink as a toilet - my first response was "No! No! No!" - while at the same time appreciating that this whole concept of using a toilet was entirely new and obscure to this child - I later had to laugh - this child at least was trying to get it right - and while the mistake brought a bit of a chuckle to a few of us, it really does put into perspective the stark contrast between their lives before Be Like Brit and their lives now.

I'm happy to report that all of our children are now using the toilet.  The sinks are safe. :)

Saturday morning - no school! Lots of time to play and learn! 

As we navigate the everyday, behind the scenes challenges, like toilet training, brushing teeth, using a napkin at dinner, eating with utensils, etc., we have a lot of fun.  The children are so quick to learn - our staff is so loving and caring and patient with each of them - that while the events leading up to getting 11 children seated at the table, napkin in lap, eyes closed, ready for prayer are chaotic, the sound of them giving thanks for all they have been so blessed to receive right before they eat is the most calming, peaceful, and rewarding few minutes of every day.

Midlens - age, unknown?

"Kouman ou rele?" I asked our newest boy.  "Midlens" he replies.  I check the name he gives me against the name listed on the birth certificate provided to me by his uncle.  It checks out.  "Ki lag ou?" I ask, (how old are you?)  "I don't know" is his response.  Understandably so.  We were told he was a boy of 2 years, and just two years at that.  It's more likely that he's around 4 or 5.  As he's never been in school, we can't find out through records.  In Haiti, when you need a birth certificate, I'm told that many times the person working for the given authority will just look a child over and assign (at random) an age and a date.  So, while his paperwork might indicate an age of 2, we know that's not likely accurate.  It just adds to the reality of how broken this system is in Haiti - and while Haiti is making great strides in a post-earthquake situation, the fact that so much of the country was reduced to rubble has resonating effects throughout all areas of everyday life.

Steeve, Ephesiens, and Midlens:  Just like brothers!

We have a few sets of siblings here at Be Like Brit, including our newest two girls, Daphney and Saradina.  Part of our commitment to maintaining the integrity of family units wherever possible is to keep siblings together, even if it may go against some of the guidelines our program committee set in place.  We recognize those guidelines as just that - guidelines - not fixed, but rather flexible.  When you are dealing with human beings, no policy can be rigid.  It's up to me and with advice from the program committee to make some tough decisions about when to invoke the "flexibility privilege."  Daphney was one of those times - as she is 9 years old.  Her younger sister, Saradina, was brought here early on and considered for enrollment, but I hesitated as she had this elder sister at home.  After visiting their home and seeing the conditions in which they were living - absent of love, affection, education, food, clothing - I knew we had to help.  I'm happy to report that even after just one night, Daphney has taken on a role of "big sister" to not only Saradina, but to the others here at Be Like Brit.  She's a joy to have around and is looking forward to starting school on Monday...for the first time ever!

Daphney

Our staff, as I said, has been wonderful.  While it's not necessarily traditional in these types of settings to have male caregivers, we at Be Like Brit like to be unique! We believe strongly that a positive male role model in our children's lives will only contribute to positive growth and development.  Not just for our boys, but our girls as well.  Nico has been one of our great male role models for our children.  As an interpreter, as a caregiver, as a coach - Nico is leading exercise programs on Saturday mornings, along with teaching the children some basics about the English language.  We are happy to have him here at Be Like Brit, along with all of our other great caregivers!

Nico comforts Saradina, who just had a bit of a fall while running around the courtyard!

We know there's always more going on below the surface than what we can ascertain from casual observation - and we work on that regularly with our children.  But sometimes there's just no denying that these smiles are genuine and these children are happy!

Loobens and Ephesiens

See? Even Chacha can break out into a smile, despite being dethroned as King of the castle! :)

Adjusting, slowly but surely!

We are blessed with more wonderful staff! Madame Evana is a cook for us here at Be Like Brit, but it's not unusual to see her taking a break from the kitchen to show the children a few things and help them out in the morning as we scramble out the door to make it to school on time!  She works so hard in the kitchen and goes above and beyond those duties!

Amazing woman, Evana!

Carline is one of our newest additions to the staff here at Be Like Brit.  She's a singer in the Choir at Church and has our children sounding like a well-trained group.  One of my favorite sounds is when she and Elsie work together with them on traditional Haitian songs and poems.  As I sit on the 2nd floor terrace tapping away at my laptop, the sound of children singing in unison makes the hair on my arms stand up and brings a smile to my face.  It's a beautiful sound!

L-R: Loobens, Mirna, Germanie, Love na, and Carline.

 Even Madame Santana, who cleans for us 6 days a week at Be Like Brit is happy!  She gets some interesting bathrooms to clean, indeed, and washes the children's shoes and clothes.  She's one of the hardest working women I've ever met - even coming in on days off to take clothes off the line, despite my telling her it isn't necessary for her to do it, that I know how to fold laundry.  She just won't have it! We love having her around, and on occasion I enjoy catching her singing or whistling while she keeps Be Like Brit clean and safe for all of our children.

Santana, you left the water running! 

Tricking Chacha into taking his medicine, before Gilbert arrives to do it with ease!

And then there's this...

Mirna

If you haven't sponsored a child yet here at Be Like Brit, we invite you to check out our link:

sponsorships.belikebrit.org

None of this is easy:  With each child we bring in, a serious amount of resources, work, time and money are expended.  Upon their arrival, children are given new sandals, new shoes for school and church, clothes, a backpack, school supplies, school uniforms, personal care items like powder, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, ribbons and barrettes for hair, sheets, towels, plates and cups for school snacks, and more! This is just to get them into Be Like Brit!  As they progress in school, their needs will grow, and so will ours.

Your gift of sponsorship will allow us to continue to bring smiles to these faces.  As our family grows (and believe me, it's growing!) we hope you'll follow us along and help where you can!

We are proud to report that all of our children start school the next school day after their arrival!  We are proud that they are well fed, dressed, loved, and provided for.  The reward is their smiles, their joy, their thanks.

Each day when our children come in from school, they greet every member of our staff with either a handshake or a kiss on the cheek.  I'm pretty proud of that - as they did this of their own volition.  Nobody on our staff asked them to do this - and so for me, it's proof that in the right environment, these children will continue to grow, learn, thrive, and love.

Thanks for reading,

Jonathan