There are many needs in Haiti. But one that is often overlooked is the need for joy. Children are born with a capacity for joy – ceaselessly seeking out opportunities to play, express their curiosity, and exercise their imaginations. At Haiti Partners, we feel that joy is not only natural to kids, but essential to their healthy development.

Recently, a couple of our friends at BAR Architects – Lisa Victor and Thomas Crowley – arranged to receive and transport a wonderful, joyful gift to the Children’s Academy: puppets! These high quality, innovative puppets are a gift from Arturo Esquigon and Folkmanis Puppets, in Berkeley, CA. As you can see in the short video below, it didn’t take long or require any help for the Children’s Academy students to learn to appreciate this great gift!

Thank you Arturo, Folkmanis, Lisa, Thomas and BAR for sharing this joyful gift with the Children’s Academy students!

*To learn more about Lisa and Thomas’ recent visit, see their fantastic blog post here: http://bararchitects.tumblr.com/