Lost for WORDS!

The more I read and research about the challenges happening right now in Haiti the facts and figures ring through my head. There are so many people displaced with no work, no education opportunities and no hope for the future. I have been looking into the Teachers Without Boards Initiative - Child Friendly Spaces. What does it mean to design a child friendly space in this challenging global environment?

I immediately think about my own children and past teaching experiences and what a child friendly space means to me in this context.

"A safe and happy environment that is inclusive and engaging, proving accessible and equal opportunities for all students".

What I need to ask myself is what a child friendly space needs to look like for the people of Haiti living amongst the devastation and dealing with the loss of loved ones having no home, no income and a bleak outlook for the future. I put together a basic mind map of words that create a powerful visual image of my interpretation of what a child friendly space would look like.

I realised that education in Haiti involves a lot more than literacy and numeracy! Children need to have access to health and hygiene information and could have issues that may need to be addressed. Social and emotional needs may need to be supported before children are ready or able to learn in a school environment.

There are so many underlining factors to consider within one initiative, I am lost for words.........