We drove carefully down a very rough dirt road, further and further until there was not much but half built shacks in empty fields.
Here we met Jackie and the children that she had gathered there in a small community center of her own making, called Happiness Now. We were greeted with smiles and curious looks and later with songs and proud displays of artwork.
A few children gathered up the bravery to speak the English words they knew in exchange for the even fewer Spanish words I know.
They were sweet and charming, but they were all in desperate need.
They were here because they were refugees from Haiti and without safe places to be. They were not allowed at school and parents were working in whatever ways they could.
Here at the center, they were being provided with clean water, two meals, reading instruction and group projects such as the songs and a fruit and vegetable garden. We were there to see if we could help lighten the burden of providing water in this remote place.
We weren't sure if we could, but we told them but we would try.
We were all moved by Jackie’s commitment to this community and want to help support this hopeful little place in an area where hope was hard.
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