Drew in Haiti: A New Education

One of the many things I've learned since arriving in Haiti in May is that school here can be very demanding of the students who have the privilege of receiving an education. Without the luxury of textbooks in Haitian schools, the kids are expected to learn through memorization. On top of that, every few years they must pass a very challenging exam in order to continue on to the next grade. Before yesterday, the boys at Good Samaritan spent most of their time away from the books playing soccer in their small gravel yard. Outside of school, they rarely see outside the walls of their home. Yesterday, the boys got to experience a new kind of freedom and education: soccer school!

Thanks to God's provision and blessing over the yard sale that supported the boys' home in August, we were able to get Roodley, Jamesly, Wilguens, Junior, and Lens all enrolled in a soccer school that will practice for two hours every Friday evening and Saturday morning from now until June 2012. Over the course of this year, the boys will be able to learn the game of soccer on a real soccer field with real coaches and real equipment. One of the coolest things I've witnessed in Haiti so far was seeing these five boys run around freely and get a taste of what it's like to be a "normal" kid while playing the game they love. Unfortunately my words will not be able to serve justice to what the boys and I (as a spectator) experienced yesterday, but I hope the photos below are helpful in doing that!