- ATD Fourth World

The January 12, 2010 earthquake changed the way each one of them looks at life. Today, people find themselves in a situation in which they didn’t plan or choose to be. They live and sleep in small shelters made of tarp or cloth, or else simply out in the open. The families and children who find themselves with nothing do not understand what’s happening to them. In the midst of this context that is so difficult to accept, sharing knowledge offers an opening and allows people to meet and listen to each other, sharing both difficult moments and joy. The street library paints a fresh picture of life—that of joy, pride, solidarity, and peace.

Despite the mess of their current lives, the children always remember Thursdays. They can hardly wait for us to arrive, and by 9 a.m. each Thursday, many of them are already there waiting for us. The others arrive soon after, called over by their friends or parents. That’s how we got 120 children (between the ages of 2-14) to participate in our activities last Thursday.

Whether it’s during reading time, group singing and story-telling, or arts and crafts at the end of the morning, parents are with us to help us keep things under control, helping their kids and other kids and supporting us. They pay attention to all aspects of the given activity. They enjoy watching their children while they work. One mother stated: “The activity that you’re doing is very important, for the children have lost touch with books since January 12th. This will help them get ready for classes when they start up again.” The children are proof of solidarity and take care of each other. They make sure that each one has a place to sit to look at books. They go look for those who are not there when the activity is about to begin. When it begins, parents come over to ask what steps they have to take to sign up their children (there are none!). Others invite us to go to other camps where their families are.

When we pass through the camp, children ask us to go to their homes to visit their parents and take us to all the other homes. They have us meet their friends so that no one is forgotten. They all know each other. The children come from different places, but they play together like little brothers and sisters. They make the effort to go look for others, and even for children at the neighboring camp. The parents are always very proud of their children, and very happy to welcome us. Therefore, the library is not an activity that only takes place Thursdays, but all week while the children get ready and build trust between other children, their parents, and us.

The library doesn’t only get children and parents involved, but also youths who come to help. Last Thursday, one of these youths was really struck by a young girl’s drawing, so she took the time to listen to her, since children express their thoughts through their drawings. They show that they still love their country, despite the disastrous situation in which Haiti now finds itself. A child thus drew a blue and red boat—the colors of the Haitian flag—under the flag, and wrote: “I love Haiti”. Another boy drew the new Haiti of his dreams: a Haiti where life gets back its rights; where there is work; where there is an agricultural policy that values the work of peasants; where school is free; where children can grow up in peace; where there is a housing policy; where all mountains have roads; where citizens unite under a single flag; and where the environment is respected. He wrote in big letters: DEAR HAITI.

In the middle of all kinds of distributions taking place in the country, children teach us that they also wait for other things, like the chance to discover stories in wonderful books or to express themselves with paper and pencils. When we arrive with books, tarps, pencils, and paper, children greet us with as much joy as if a truck full of food or water were arriving. They are also hungry to learn and thirsty to share.

Saint Jean Lhérissaint and Dimas Perez, Volunteers Corps members