Insitut Abelard, Leogane Haiti, October 22, 2010:
Rose Carme Evenéta Clerveau is 10 years old. She has a wonderful warm smile and was happy to volunteer to speak to us. But she is one of the hundreds of thousands of children affected by the earthquake and has a sad story to tell us.
Rose lost her sister and cousin in the earthquake. Because she has seen people suffer she told us that she wants to become a doctor.
“I would like to do many things in life…I would like to be a doctor…because I would like to take care of people. I don’t like to see people suffer.”
She looks forward to coming to school especially because it is safer than her last school.
“My old school was two stories, and when I climbed up the stairs I was very afraid because I thought I was going to fall. I’m afraid of heights so I was scared whenever I went up the stairs. Now I feel very good because before I was scared but now there is no second story so I feel safe.”
Learning safe hygiene practices is also part of the children’s daily routine.
“We learn that before we eat we need to wash our hands and also when we go to the bathroom we have to wash our hands so we don’t get germs. If we eat without washing our hands, germs make us sick. Some people even die from germs.”
The school children participate in exercises that prepare them for a possible earthquake.
“If we’re in school and there is an earthquake, we learn to cover our heads to protect ourselves from falling objects, and then we go outside. I feel very good when I learn these things.”
Constructing safer schools is at the center of Save the Children’s plans for rebuilding schools after the earthquake.
The Institut Abellard in Léogâne, at the epicentre of the earthquake is an example of disaster risk reduction principles taken to the next level.
Featuring innovative yet simple techniques that make it more hurricane –and earthquake-resistant this school is a pilot project and the first of its kind. The school serves as an example of best practices and as a prototype for building other schools around the country.
Institut Abellard is made up of eight classrooms with an average of 30 children per class. There are 280 children in this Save the Children supported primary schools.
Classes range from kindergarten to grade 6. Subjects taught include maths, French, Creole, science, theatre, singing and dancing. Save the Children built the school, the latrines and the hand washing station and provided, furniture and education kits.
Save the Children plans to build 14 more of these model schools over the coming months.
The construction techniques used have been studied by both private builders and non-governmental organisations.
Save the Children is also providing teachers here with training on reducing the impact of disasters on children, reducing the psychosocial and social needs of children affected by the quake and applying positive practices in the classroom.
As part of emergency preparedness training children also practice exercise drills in case of another earthquake. These lessons are interactive and are done through participation, question and answer, singing and role playing.
released
Posted by Save the Children Canada on 2011-01-10 23:25:30
Tagged: , Photo , credit: , Susan , Warner/Save , Children
