by Deborah Dimmett
One successful program launched after Haiti’s 2013 earthquake was Li Li Li Read! Its founder, Michelle Karshan, noticed that children whose families and homes had been uprooted by the earthquake were in great need of something that would brighten their day and take their mind off of the deplorable conditions in which they lived. Thus, in 2010 she created the program Li Li Li Read! for internally displaced children living in camps throughout Port-au-Prince and surrounding municipalities. Trained Haitian readers would visit 25 tent settlement camps once a week and bring stories to read and engage the children who came to listen. More than 3,000 children a month had the benefit of hearing stories told through picture books translated from English into Creole since few children’s books have actually been written or published in Creole.
In 2012, I observed a couple readings at two of the camps. One of them was located at the St. Mary’s Mountain at Canape Vert, where children came by the dozens to sit on blankets under a shade tree and listen and laugh to stories read and performed for them. Often puppets were used to play the role of the characters in the stories. Interestingly, it was not just the children who came, but their parents and older siblings who delighted in the story time as much as they did.
Now in 2014, two years later and four years since the earthquake, most of the people living in camps have been forced out and the camps shut down. Some have been further displaced and still homeless while others found refuge with other family members or in a few new settlements created for them. Of course, for those who found some form of housing, this was all good. However, for those who could not use the small stipend (about $200) provided by the government, this second displacement has created a direr circumstance and an uncertain future.
Li Li Li Read! was also met with an uncertain future since the most of the camps were shut down. As a result, Li Li Li Read! is now looking for new ways to bring hope and a smile to faces of vulnerable children who do not have access to books and very possibly no access to school. In last week’s WOW Currents, I addressed the concern about Haitian children not having books available to them either at home or in schools or libraries. It would be exciting to see Li Li Li Read! provide regular readings and performances in some of Port-au-Prince’s larger parks and outdoor public meeting places, such as Champs d’ Mars, the city center of Port-au-Prince. However, I would not stop there. State schools could also greatly benefit from Li Li Li Read!’s model of training the reader who would be the children’s classroom teacher. And, each school day could begin with a wondrous story to take children’s minds to new place and new possibilities while providing them with hope and a love of reading.
To learn more about Li Li Li Read!, visit their website.
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- Themes: Deborah Dimmett
- Descriptors: Debates & Trends, WOW Currents