This morning we had the opportunity to meet the children and staff at Gertrude's Home for Special Needs. As soon as we arrived, a few students tried to "escape" their classroom. One child had a mind of his own and kept pulling me towards the playground. He did not succeed with his mission....a staff member came and made him return to class. We were then given a tour of the building where there was a small kitchen, a room filled filled with cribs for the babies and toddlers, a room where crafts are made by some women from the neighborhood, one classroom with several pieces of cloth hanging from the ceiling for a "wall" divider, a bathroom, another room with bunk beds for the older children and a small playground. There were about 16 special needs kids in the classroom with two Haitian staff. Most of the teaching seemed to involve singing and clapping. The kids were allowed to go to the playground after class time, but several stayed in the classroom where Angela sang and played her guitar. It brought tears to my eyes to see how much the students LOVED the music and made me realize how fortunate we are to have access to all the resources we take for granted.
It was an amazing experience seeing some team members step out of their comfort zone and love these kids up. There is a reason special needs students were given that name, they truly are special!
Stacey
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