First of all, it is about 3 hours long.......on hard benches.....very long. BUT, let me tell you how great this was.
We had about 40 graduates. As we watched them march down the isle (dance down actually as it is customary to do at graduations and weddings) we had an overwhelming sense of pride. Why? Well although we did personally know a few of them, it was not the fact that we knew them all. It was the fact that as they walked down the isle, we knew that these 40 kids were
now among the ranks of only 2%!!!! of Haitians that graduate high school. And not only were they graduating high school, they were graduating from one of the best high schools in the country (grade scores).
These kids from rural Titanyen now have a great chance, a chance to make a difference in their families lives, to make a difference in their country, to make a difference in the world. And whether they get an educated job or whether they work the land with their parents, they now have the knowledge to make changes, to think of new ideas, to work up the ranks. What was also so great was to see how many girls there were that were graduating in a society where men have priority. This is all because of the many sponsors from the US and Canada that through our sponsorship program have made it possible for these kids to go to school.
My favorite part of the ceremony was that as each kid got his/her diploma, the parents were to stand up. As I watched the parents, my throat choked at each parent that stood up that despite wearing their best clothes, they looked weathered, run down and malnourished. I knew that for this family, they never would have been able to afford to send their child to school without this program. I knew that having this child graduate would mean a better life for their family and for this I was so proud to see them standing tall watching their child take that hard earned diploma.
1 comment:
Amazing! I could sense your joy in this post. Thanks for sharing! :)
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