February 7, 2011

Last Thursday and Friday we were extremely pleased to host wonderful trainings for our Leogane partner schools given by Mercy Corps and the Life is Good Kids Foundation.

The Mercy Corps Youth Program builds local capacity to support children and youth affected by the January 12, 2010 earthquake and associated mental health and youth development issues. They trained our Haitian educators to better understand and respond to the emotional and physical needs of children and youth affected by crisis and traumatic events. The core emergency phase program, Comfort for Kids (C4K), also provides participants and local communities with books in Kreyol for each student and a network of Haitian psychosocial mentors to support training messages and participants’ needs.

Life is Good Kids Foundation: Their training team (called in Kreyol the “Gèrye Jwa” literally translated as “Joy Warriors”) have been providing training for workers in schools and child care facilities in and around the earthquake affected areas in a uniquely simple and transformative method of psycho-social therapy. Through these methods children are given the space and time to regain and express their natural joyful state and can experience the healing power of joyful play. Over the past year, working in and around multiple IDP camps in Port-au-Prince, these Joy Warriors have played an indispensable role in the difficult road to normalcy for thousands of children.

As these videos attest, their methods are clearly great “therapy” for teachers and caregivers alike!  Great thanks to Mercy Corps and the Life is Good Kids Foundation for providing these trainings!