Jwaye Nwèl (Merry Christmas)

Our children had an exciting day on Friday, the last day of school before Christmas and the New Year. For the third year in a row, the parents were invited to attend a special celebration at the school. The children in each grade participated in the program that included singing, poetry reading and dancing.

 For this special occassio, the children dressed up as if they were going to attend church on Sunday. Each grade took turns with their presentations to the parents/caregivers in attendance.

 After the program, each child was given a small gift and the children presented a gift to each of the teachers. Everyone was invited to stay after the program to have a meal and dessert.

Three years ago when we had our first holiday celebration, we had not planned to provide gifts for each child, the teachers and the staff. We quickly realized that our program was not only unique in that it did not exist in the regular schools, it was also unique in that the the children, the teachers, the staff and the caregivers draw a correlation of the program to the mercy and grace of Christ. They see the orphanage and school as a blessing and Christmas as a special time to celebrate and be thankful for all of the blessings of the year. Our small gifts are merely a tangible way to reinforce the peace joy and happiness felt by all. They strengthen the bonds of all of the participnts and the community. In many case, our program will be the only time some of the children will experience a Christmas gift and meal.

Our children continue to grow and learn about a world that they have yet to experience. 2013 has been a special year for them with volunteers from many parts of the world; new teachers teaching new things; and new opportunities to learn that extend beyond the classroom text books to after-school exra-curricular activivteis such as singing and dancing. They and the caregivers know that they are experiencing unconditional blessings. It is no wonder that a Christmas celebration gives them an opportunity to show their appreciation for the blessings. Moreover, their excitement and appreciation is a blessing to COHH staff.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of our donors who have shared generously with us for almost 10 years to make our joy and excitement possible.