In Babaco, the Come & Rest Summer Camp did more than provide activities for children during the school break. It helped reconnect a community with its school after three years of closure.
For three years, the Wesleyan School in Babaco had remained closed following violence and destruction that affected the community. For children and their families, the school’s closure meant not only an interruption to education, but also the loss of an important place of safety, gathering, and community life.
In June, an activity held to celebrate Haiti’s National Children’s Day gave children from the community an opportunity to return to the school grounds. This first activity helped rebuild connections with families and opened the way for another initiative: the Come & Rest Summer Camp.
The pastor responsible for the school described the impact of the program:
“This summer camp is a blessing for our community. Our school had been closed for three years. When we announced the camp, we did not expect so many children to participate. We even had to close registration because we knew it would be difficult to provide meals for more than 60 children with our budget. Despite this, we welcomed an average of 74 children throughout the camp.”
But the impact went beyond the five weeks of summer activities. The presence of children and families at the school also created an opportunity to begin registration for the school’s reopening. Parents who heard about the camp came to the school and took the opportunity to register their children.
“Most importantly, the camp helped us begin the registration process for the reopening of the school. Parents heard about the camp and took the opportunity to come and register their children. We want to thank WHI for thinking of our community. This program has truly been a blessing to us.”
This experience highlights the importance of integrating protection, education, and community engagement. By providing children with a safe, structured, and welcoming environment during the school break, the program responded to an immediate protection need while also creating an opportunity to gradually rebuild the community’s trust in the school.
The camp also helped reclaim a space that had been closed for three years and gave families a new reason to gather there again. This represents an encouraging step toward reopening the school and restoring its role within the community.
The pastor concluded:
“We thank God for allowing everything to go well. We hope this activity can continue in the years to come.”
In Babaco, Come & Rest did more than create a safe space for children during the school break. It helped reopen a door to education, rebuild connections with families, and bring life back to a community space that had been closed for three years.