Today we hit the volleyball court once again with a schedule similar to yesterday, but the participants were different. Yesterday we worked with a mixture of coaches and players, and at one point there were more than 50 people training on one court. Today’s session was filled with players from Haiti’s top club teams. We had 24 players, mostly men in their upper 20s, along with a couple women in their 20s and 30s.
The running joke throughout the day began when I checked the weather on my phone as we drove to the court. According to weather.com, there was supposed to be cloud cover all day. I confidently assured the other coaches we wouldn’t be swimming in sweat two days in a row. Unfortunately, the entire day there was not a cloud in site! The temperature averaged in the upper 90s and the heat index must have been over 120. Around mid-morning Tracy began joking, “this cloud cover feels great Tom.” From there, Becca and Scott joined in and before the end of the day it was what made all of us smile when the heat seemed unbearable.
We started with the skills we covered in yesterday’s sessions and added some more advanced drills. The players loved every second of our six hours of training, and the coaches felt the same. Every player hung on every word we said, and tried as hard as possible to execute the technique and skill that we were asking. It was another remarkable day on the court.
But what I really want to share about today’s experience in Haiti was our visit to an orphanage that participates in the Child-in-Hand program, which we stopped at after our clinic concluded.
Like most of the homes in Haiti, the building that houses the orphans was surrounded by large cement walls topped with barbwire fencing. Human trafficking is a significant problem in Haiti and orphanages are a major target, because sadly, young children fetch the highest dollar. It’s a tough concept to even think about, let alone live.
There were a total of about 40 children living in a house of no more than 1,500 square feet. The bunk room was just that – basic bunks lined up in a cement block room. There was a yard area out back, which not all orphanages in Haiti are lucky enough to have. To the kids, this patch of dirt is their playground and their sanctuary. They are all so appreciative for everything they have, even though it’s not much.
When we arrived, we were greeted by a wonderful, smiling woman with a French name that was difficult to pronounce. She immediately took us into a room with some of the orphans who were spending a couple of hours making the beaded bracelets that are sold at USA Volleyball events on their behalf by the Child-in-Hand program (formerly known as Haiti Street). These bracelets create a self-sustaining business which supplies the orphanages with year-round money for food, shelter and clothing.
I sat at a table with four of the children and proceeded to spit out every last little bit of French that I could remember from 7th grade French class. I have to say, Mrs. Knobloch would have been impressed with my attempts. I got out my name and how I felt and all the children laughed. Who knows what I actually said, but it made the kids feel like I was trying.
After more butchered French words, the children responded by saying English words like nose, ear, head and shoulder. I immediately pointed to the corresponding body part, and they all laughed and cheered as if they had deciphered the Davinci Code.
At some point the group struck up in song, and I did my best to join them as they sang about a French hippo. I know that I completely killed the annunciation, but once again the kids got a good laugh about it. I guess I was their entertainment for the day, but I was the one who was lifted up – their smiles and cheerfulness and enthusiasm were unbelievable.
Tracy and I ventured out to the yard to meet another group of children, and soon all of those inside were hustled outside as well. The owners of the orphanage lined them all up in a long row to receive hats we brought with us that have a big USA on the front. They were donated by the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Team for Tomorrow humanitarian fund.
As we started handing them out, the long row of orphans broke out in giggles and high pitched squeals and screams. They jumped up and down, starring at their new headwear and admiring each other as they made funny poses. At one point, with every hat on a little head, they started chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.” We were all choked up and simultaneously laughing and chanting with them. They felt like Olympians in those hats, and once again we were humbled to be surrounded by such happiness and appreciation.
The Child-in-Hand program also donated five volleyballs to the orphanage that we were excited to present. To me, a ball is a toy, but sport is so much more – it’s a gift for life. So we felt that there was no better way to give the volleyballs to the orphanage than to teach them a little about the game.
We started with some general basics, and the kids were all-ears, so eager to learn. Next we moved on to setting and passing, and several of the children put up their hands to be our volunteers and try out the skills. When they came up in the front of the group, everyone whistled and cheered, and you could just feel the kids soaking in the applause and the attention. Just being in the spotlight for a few brief minutes, with all eyes on them, gave them a special moment of recognition and accomplishment. At the orphanage, the simplest gestures were incredibly moving.
We ended our trip to the orphanage by handing our gym shoes that the Child-in-Hand program had purchased. We had three duffel bags filled with shoes, but the most unfortunate experience of our entire trip was that we didn’t have larger sizes for the older children. It was a simple miscommunication prior to our trip, but having to try to explain to those kids that we did not have shoes for them as they excitedly surrounded the bags was one of the hardest experiences of my life. I felt a sadness that words cannot express.
Imagine inviting kids who have nothing to try on shoes only to tell them that you don’t have their size. I felt sick to my stomach the rest of the day. Thankfully, Lilly and the Child-in-Hand program won’t leave them disappointed for long, as they work with the same orphanages constantly throughout the year, and future trips and donations are already planned. Their immediate reactions, however, were heart-wrenching.
The smaller kids, however, did receive shoes and were sized and fitted by Becca and Scott, who made them feel like all-stars. Their faces just lit up. That’s when we noticed what they were taking off of their feet. Their sandals and shoes were so worn that their little feet were poking through. It made the shoes seem almost irrelevant. The new shoes were covered in “Transformers” and “Hello Kitty,” and once again, we were overwhelmed by the appreciation and the smiles.
When we left the orphanage, our ride back to the hotel was filled with silence. We were drained of every little ounce of energy and emotion, but it was also due to a deep and profound appreciation for the lives that we live. There were little words spoken, but it was clear we all felt a special connection after what we had experienced, and a stirring in our hearts for the perspective we gained. Those orphans might not have much, but their heart and their courage are enough to fill up an entire country.
Here is a video of us instructing the kids through some basic volleyball skills...
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