School time (Dajabon)

Our adventures continued, as we were able to volunteer at a local school by the doctor’s practice. This was extremely different compared to our first day because we only saw children today. I personally liked it better and thought it was more fulfilling because we were able to help them at a young age. It was important for them to get help at a younger age so that they wouldn’t experience eye problems later, and/or get cataracts or other diseases at such a young age. 

We saw so many students that needed a high prescription at such a young age. It was sad to know that they didn’t know any better, and that they had to struggle to see the board and do their homework. To them, that was the best that would ever happen, and they had to deal with it because they had no choice.

This is why this was the most rewarding because not only could we help them in that moment, but essentially for the rest of their life. Although, we weren’t able to see them use their glasses in class, I know that they can now see better without getting headaches or sitting really close to the board. 

An obstacle that we had while with the kids was the language barrier. I speak very broken Spanish, enough to get around but not necessarily to convey specific messages and emotions. Some of the kids were shy, not cooperative, or didn’t know their letters. This was an issue because it made it hard for us to understand what they needed and what they could and couldn’t see. They were all very smart, and were able to get through life with what they had, but for us, we struggled to understand how they were surviving. At the end, it ended up being a language and communication barrier. We solved this by using picture charts with shapes and directions so that they can use their hands or describe the picture to us. THIS HELPED A LOT! Once we switched our charts from letters to shapes and directions, you could see their eyes lit up and their facial language change. At first they were really confused and didn’t know what to do, but after they felt more confident.

Overall, we were able to see about 100 students, of all ages while we were there at the school. We got to see them during the school day, so they were excused from class. One thing I noticed was that all the kids are the same around the World. All the kids goofed off with there friends, had their cliques, and crushed on each other. That to me was really cool to see because even though, we look different physically, inside we are all the same people and do the similar things.