MISSION AND VISION

Healing hands will provide a safe and nurturing space where all children can learn, thrive and grow, hand in hand. Educators working together to empower the children of today, transforming the future of tomorrows leaders.

The future is now!

Sarah Shaw 2017

HEALING HANDS

These spaces in Port-Au-Prince through the support of the charities give children access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities.Teachers Without Borders, UNICEF, Save the Children and Haiti Out-Of-School Youth Livelihood are just a few of the charities involved with creating safe and protective Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) in Haiti. Children entering CFS in Port-Au-Prince for the first time or children that attend daily will arrive with a multitude of health issues, social and emotional issues and differing educational ability. There are also health professionals on site to assist children and their families with their needs. The spaces are fully inclusive and gender sensitive, promoting equality.

Healing Hands is a versatile, adaptable, fun and transportable resource that could be used across many global challenging environments. This innovative resource works hand in hand with educators, health professionals, community leaders, parents and children to provide an inclusive and equal space that supports and empowers children. This space is a designed for implementation in Child Friendly Spaces with children to assist with their healing process and education while gaining skills for their future.

Healing Hands is a resource connecting puppets to children and education. Puppets are a cross cultural medium for children and used around the world. Educators from around the world could contribute ideas and activities which could be incorporated for use across many learning areas. Through the use of puppets within CFS in Port-Au-Prince, children and their families will gain vital education and knowledge in a range of different areas while having fun.

THE HEALING HANDS LEARNING SPACE

Within child friendly spaces inside Port-Au-Prince essential education in health, hygiene, sanitation and safety is on-going. Educators and health professionals from charity organisations are on site to support children and their families social and emotional needs. These basic needs have to be met so that children are able and willing to receive an education, contribute to their community and succeed as adults.

Healing Hands is a resource that is incorporated into current educational programmes operating in Port-Au-Prince, its main aim is to engage with children to support them as they learn, thrive and grow. All programmes that Healing Hands works in partnership with will be culturally relevant and tailored to the needs of children and their families in Port-Au-Prince. Healing Hands resources can take many forms such as, finger puppets, sock puppets, glove puppets and paper bag puppets. There will be larger puppets that are utilised to transmit educational information while engaging children and their families in a learning environment. The fact that Healing Hands learning spaces are easily transportable and adaptable makes it a universal resource for the delivery of essential information and education in challenging environments.

Healing hands learning spaces can be incorporated into many other essential learning spaces within CFS. I have explained below how this might happen.

THE PERSONAL AND LIMINAL LEARNING SPACE

Many children within the CFS’s in Port-Au Prince have experienced enormous loss and suffering and are still emotionally and socially scarred today. The Healing Hands space will provide opportunities for children to make their own puppets or choose one that has already been made. Having something of their own is important. Within the children’s personal space, the puppets may play a valuable role in their social, emotional and cognitive development. Puppets can help break down barriers and encourage children to discuss different issues that may well have previously stayed hidden. They allow children to express issues or concerns while wearing a ‘mask’. Puppets enable us to express ourselves through them which serves as an outlet for emotions. Healing Hands will be used as an aid to support children in the healing process making sure their needs are met so they can succeed.

Having Healing Hands puppet resources will allow children to be children and encourages play. Using the puppets in role play scenarios or engaging with them in talk will bring a sense of normality and fun to their lives. When the children in camp are faced with difficult or new situations having a puppet to take with them and hold onto may bring them some security and reassurance.

Children within the CFS of Port-Au-Prince will definitely spend time in the liminal space. While in this space, through the use of the Healing Hand resources and on-site educator’s expertise the children will be supported, guided and reassured. Having the knowledge that it is OK to feel that way. Losing their homes, family members, friends, way of life and possessions will have a profound effect on the whole community. Healing Hands puppet resources will engage with children and talk to them breaking down barriers and building hope and dreams for their future. Children might also use puppets in times of reflection. When they want to sit, observe, cry or be alone within the space the puppets will be there with them to hold, snuggle and touch as a sensory aid if needed. Health professionals will use the resource as a way of communicating with children tapping into their social and emotional needs and offering support and guidance to help them move forward from the unknown to a happier place within themselves.

THE CLASSROOM AND THE SCHOOL LEARNING SPACE

Within the school settings in Port-Au-Prince’s CFS the Healing Hands Resource could assist educators in the delivery of many lessons. In addition to literacy and numeracy sessions alternative education that is preparing the children for their future as part of the community in Haiti could be enhanced through the use of the Healing Hands Resource. Having a ‘girl’ puppet as a role model and teacher’s advisor will show equality within the settings and vice versa with a ‘boy’ puppet, he could be seen preparing food or fetching the water from the bore. This is a powerful message to Haitians as girls are not valued as highly in society or in many educational roles or professions. Message of inclusiveness and diversity could also be demonstrated through the use of a puppet.

When the 2010 hurricane occurred children in Haiti believed that a giant serpent rose from underneath the ground devastating their home and communities, many children still live in fear of the serpent. In a culturally relevant way the Helping Hands puppets can educate children about earthquakes and hurricanes and why they occur through story and visual role play. This information builds up children’s knowledge and understanding in this area which will aid them when thinking about building materials, infrastructure and flooding in future years.

Another important area that could be made engaging and interesting through the use of helping hands puppets is sustainability. Puppets could demonstrate how things grow, what they need to survive and what we can do to help.

The community and families of the children would be encouraged to use the puppets in story time sessions and to transmit cultural information and knowledge.

THE GROUP LEARNING SPACE

Healing Hands would work together with health professionals and charitable organisations to create fun interactive puppet plays. Within the group learning space children and their families would gather to learn more about issues and topics relevant to them within their lives. Water safety and hygiene practice is particularly relevant in Haiti as the number of Cholera cases is rising. The puppets would serve as a vehicle to transmit information through a number of the senses thereby providing an opportunity for a wide range of learning abilities. The puppets will talk, sing, show visual aids and interact with the children keeping them interested and engaged the information being delivered.

Different shows at different times could be made available for different age ranges and groups of people. Mother and baby groups could learn more about the importance of breast feeding longer and not introducing solid food to their babies until they are 6 months old. Older children can gain information about hygiene, sanitation, bullying, equality, inclusion and safety issues that may be affecting them.

Within the group space the Healing Hands space would also seek support from community members and parents to assist in the creation of children’s own puppets. During these interactions children will have opportunities for social interaction and gain cultural knowledge and understanding from members of their community through talk. It is a space for parents to use their skills and artistic flair to support their children and others in a positive fun filled way. Adults showing enthusiasm for the children’s’ creations will help boost children’s’ self-esteem and self-worth.

HEALING HANDS LEARNING SPACE - THE FUTURE

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HAND-IN-HAND - LEARN, THRIVE, GROW

The Healing Hands Learning space has the possibility to become something bigger for the communities living in Port-Au-Prince in Haiti. Bringing together the whole community using skills and cultural knowledge puppets could be constructed for other camps, villages and challenging environments in the future. This process will give many a purpose and children opportunities to learn new skills that could be used in their future as a way to support themselves, selling items at markets. The community would also be supporting others in need at the same time. Parents will gain the confidence and skills to use the puppets in community group situations to teach other parents and offer information on a range of issues. As children grow the take the knowledge and education gained through participating and using the resource with them into their future. All children will learn, thrive and grow through their involvement with the Healing Hands learning space.

CONCLUSION

Healing hands is a realistic and innovative approach to the effective and entertaining way to change behaviours in children for example, learning when and how to wash their hands properly, brush their teeth correctly and keep their bodies clean. Healing Hands will support education in a non-threatening manner by engaging children and getting them excited about learning through visual aids, discussions, puppet play, songs and interactive lessons. This resource is designed for use across multiple age ranges and will help deliver age-appropriate education. Through the puppets the goals of prevention and intervention work together to seek to prevent problems but also serve as a safety net for those in trouble to ask for help. The puppets work in partnership with educators partaking in programs that are reflective of their culture and the reality of their lives. Children will have opportunities to gain and practice new skills to aid them in the future. Healing Hands also offers learning through play, this is fundamental to a child’s education and puppets have been proven to stimulate children’s imagination, encourage discovery and bring life to learning.

Healing Hands learning spaces aims to empower and transform children lives in Haiti’s Port-Au-Prince camps and beyond, cultivating the full potential of an entire generation.