|
|
| How can you help children in the schools of Dominica? The 65 or so schools on the small island of Dominica are extremely under resourced and many of the teachers have very little, if any, training. They realise that they need to be resourceful, but admit that their own education did not promote creativity, so they find thinking up ideas to make classroom resources quite difficult. During my teacher training sessions, I give them ideas using recycling and this show-me-wow website promotes this. But teachers and students still need pencils and pencil crayons, paper and card, glue and staplers, basic stationery and fabrics to even start a creative project. These items are expensive on the island, are sometimes scarce and are often of very poor quality. Teachers' pay is too poor for them to supplement resources in their classrooms.
Look at what one pack of wax crayons did!.... Wow!  A six year old boy, with muscular difficulties, liked to use wax crayons to colour pictures. This benefitted his physiotherapy, but as time passes, he has to press much harder, and that is difficult. Also, the local crayons were giving him such a poor colour result, that he lost interest in the hobby that was so importantly helping to maintain his manual dexterity. Then, a kind visitor from overseas used space in her travel bag to bring wax crayons that were of everyday quality to her, but super quality to this little boy. He loved the colours that appeared as he worked and he wanted to do more and more. Can you imagine how his family felt when they saw this child, who is so limited in mobility, regain his interest in a hobby that was so good for his hand muscles...and all for the small price of a pack of wax crayons? June 2007 + Sadly this wonderful young man died in June 2009.+ + We are thankful for the memories we have of his charm, his smiles and his love of colour.+
What we need We need all sorts of stationery, we need second hand reading books for across the age ranges and comics. We need merit stickers to encourage children's efforts, we need fabrics and backing supplies to cover makeshift display boards and tuffet tops. We need string, as many schools have concrete walls and so display work on a washing line...oh...so we need pegs too! We need thumb tacks...hundreds of them and stencils. Few schools have a dustpan and brush or a wastepaper bin! Cardboard boxes are used, but even they are not easy to come by. And if anything electrical is sent...like glue guns, we need to first warn donors (especially Americans) that electricity here works on 240 volts and schools cannot afford to buy or run transformers.
******STOP PRESS!******* CURRENTLY, WE ESPECIALLY NEED: 1) SPLIT PINS TO MAKE CARD CLOCKS FOR TEACHING HOW TO TELL THE TIME, 
2) COMICS, BECAUSE THESE ARE USUALLY IN CAPS. FONTS AND SO GIVE CHILDREN EXPERIENCE IN READING TEXTS THAT ARE ENTIRELY IN CAPITAL LETTERS.COMICS ENCOURAGE BOYS' READING TOO. 
3) LITTLE FRENCH ACTIVITY BOOKS AND VERY EASY FRENCH READERS. DOMINICA IS BETWEEN THE FRENCH ISLANDS OF GUADALOUPE AND MARTINIQUE. 
4) EVERYDAY MEDICAL SUPPLIES, AS MOST SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS HAVE POOR SURFACES AND ARE VERY HARD ON SMALL (AND LARGE) KNEES AND ELBOWS. 
5) THEATRE MAKE-UP FOR A DRAMA GROUP OF VULNERABLE AND UNDERPRIVILEDGED TEENAGERS 
6) SIMPLE, BASIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS FOR BEGINNERS LIKE RECORDERS, DRUMS, XYLOPHONES, CYMBALS. 
7) WIDE EYED NEEDLES WITH NOT TOO SHARP POINTS FOR USE IN BASKET MAKING CLASSES FOR THE BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED. THESE NEEDLES DO NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PORT, SO CAN BE POSTED DIRECTLY TO ME Chris Lawrence P.O.Box 2114, Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica THE BASKET MAKERS WOULD ALSO APPRECIATE COLOURED RAFFIA TO GO WITH THE NEEDLES. 
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.
The world's future The children of Dominica are part of the world's children and so are the world's future. They are, for the most part, courteous and polite. They try hard and they certainly smile a lot. They expect very little and are grateful when they receive anything. I am ashamed to say that children in other parts of the world, who have so much, could learn a great deal from the children here. When I delivered 12 little second hand reading corner books to a class, they made me feel like I was Father Christmas. I truly wish that those kind people who had sent these gifts could have seen their faces. Dominica has many beautiful sights, but this sight was one of the best! Thank you from me, from their teachers and, most of all, from the children. Here we are fanning our faces and saying, FAANN..TAAASS..STIC! 
If you come to Dominica and have room in your travel bag to bring items for schools, I will meet you and thank you and I promise that whatever you give will be in use in schools very, very quickly. Or, donations of teaching materials are also very gratefully received when sent to: Charity School Supplies for distribution by CHRIS LAWRENCE c/o Louisianna Dublique (President) The Dominica Lions Club Federation Drive Goodwill Roseau Commonwealth of Dominica. (I sincerely thank the Dominica Lions Club for the support they give in procuring school supplies from the Port of Roseau on behalf of Show-me-wow and for their encouragement for the work I do. This is a tremendous help both to me and to the schools of Dominica.) Respectfully, may I add that, to avoid embarrassment as well as customs and import difficulties, gifts must strictly be school supplies for obvious use in a classroom or school building. All boxes are thoroughly inspected throughout by officials, in front of us, when we collect them. We have to respect the fears of Dominican shop keepers, who are concerned that gifts coming in free of import duty, damage their trade. This is a poor country and we hope donors will kindly understand our position. We are truly grateful for your help, but we must all comply with the conduct codes of the Commonwealth of Dominica. | |
|