Pazapa and the Sisters of Charity

If nothing else, certainly the greatest band name I've seen in a long time.

In the morning, Gopi and I (and Karen!) went to Pazapa, a school for special needs children. (http://pazapa.org/) It was your basic two-room schoolhouse, except that since the school was destroyed in the earthquake, it was a temporary structure.  They are currently building a new permanent building on the premises.  So, for the morning, Gopi and I treated children.  Or rather, Gopi treated children, and I tried to find one that wasn't scared of my face.

Michou gave me this look the whole morning.  She loved Gopi.

This guy was diggin' on me pretty hard.

All in all, I didn't break any of the children, so I feel like that's a pretty solid success.  The setup was a bit chaotic - all the kids we worked with were gathered on a mat (~15'x15') with their caregivers.  We had a translator, and did our best to make the communication work.  Tonight we will be collaborating with the OT students to come up with plans for the children that both of us saw, and the doing interprofessional treatments tomorrow.  Also, this girl was obsessed with trying on my shoes (while wearing her shoes), which was adorable:

My feet are normal-sized.  The school was actually located in Lilliput.

"According to their need"

The second part of the day (when bonjou becomes bonswa) was spent for an hour or so at clinic, and then into the nearby charity home run by the Sisters of Charity.  SoC is a Catholic sisterhood operating around the world.  The organization in Jacmel was quite a sight (site? yes.).  A room full of infants, including twin preemies.  A porch full of children.  A courtyard full of adults.  Every person being treated as best as the sisters were able - the kind of organization that renews your faith in charities.  We took a brief tour - no pictures, please - and then did a few quick treatments.

Some people are there just for a day.  Some people will be there for the rest of their lives.  The sister who served as our guide explained it all very simply, when asked how long people were allowed to stay.