Picnic Scheduled to Bring Haiti to South Windsor

Few if any, South Windsor residents know what it’s like to search for water, haul it great distances and sleep in an overcrowded area.

But several activities at a picnic hosted by South Windsor Haiti School, Inc. on Aug. 11 will, in a fun, but educational way, simulate what it’s like to live in conditions that are far less convenient than those in the U.S.

The picnic, which will be held at the Rotary Pavilion in Nevers Park, is intended to serve as a fundraiser for the South Windsor Preschool in Lilavois, Haiti, which was opened in September 2011.

The school was opened in response to the devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti in January 2010, killing 300,000 and destroying an estimated 5,000 schools.

The idea to build a preschool came from Dr. Saud Anwar, a South Windsor town councilor who traveled to Haiti in March 2010 to help a team of doctors with fitting people who lost their limbs with prostheses.

“The people of Haiti are some of the most amazing people I’ve come across,” Anwar said. “They don’t have a lot of worldly possessions. What little they had was completely lost. Their attitude and demeanor was amazing. Their resilience was not like anything I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Anwar and a group of South Windsor residents decided to build on their work and do something that would have a greater impact over a longer period of time, and came up with the idea to build a school.

After some fits and starts, the decision was made to add on to an existing school. Land records are notoriously spotty in Haiti, so finding property to build a brand new school represented an enormous challenge, Anwar said.

The South Windsor Preschool is an all-girls school with an enrollment of about 100 children, many of whom have never had any formal education before.

“It’s remarkable that a small group of determined citizens in Connecticut established a preschool in Haiti … for girls who might not otherwise go to school,” said Elizabeth McGuire, a member of South Windsor Haiti School, Inc.

McGuire noted that many schools in Haiti are private and require tuition. The South Windsor Preschool is free for the children who attend.

While it’s difficult to overstate the benefits received by the children who attend the South Windsor Preschool, Anwar said that the people of South Windsor have gained as much, if not more.

“They help us realize and appreciate what we have, and also respect and share with one another and to be thankful no matter what,” Anwar said. “A sense of responsibility we all collectively need to have. We are, despite the challenges, still one of the richest countries in the world, and next to one of us is one of the poorest. Not entirely, but we do have some responsibility we need to own about the people in Haiti.”

Rabbi Jeff Glickman said that he has learned a lot about America by leaving America.

“Kids complain about having to go to school [in the U.S.],” said Glickman, a member of South Windsor Haiti School, Inc. “In Haiti, one of the greatest opportunities is to go to school. They cherish their lessons and want to learn really badly. We take for granted what we have.”

But it’s not just helping people appreciate what they have. The mission has also brought many people from various backgrounds — political affiliations, religions, age, gender, socioeconomic status — together for one common goal.

“I’ve not been involved in a volunteer group with such a wonderful cross section of people,” McGuire said. “

But a dedicated group of volunteers isn’t enough. Bills have to be paid. Which brings us back to the Aug. 11 event.

Organizers understand that a picnic may seem like an odd place to simulate some of the conditions under which many Haitians have been living with since the disaster struck. Indeed, Glickman said that there was a balance to be struck between having fun, while still edifying people of the difficulties that Haitians face on a day to day basis.

Glickman noted that the average house in the U.S. stands on a plot of land 80’ x 80’. In Haiti, after the earthquake, a tent village would have some 200 tents on that same plot.

“And the conditions were so sparse, it’s difficult to believe,” he said.

The idea of the picnic was to bring that notion home, while not making light of the situation, Glickman said.

“We don’t to be silly, but we do want to make it memorable for people,” Glickman said.

So, in addition to water bucket races and a game to see how many people can fit in a tent at once, the picnic will also feature food, live Haitian-music, a bounce house, tie dying, Haitian crafts, face painting, volleyball and other family activities.

“We want to bring everyone to Haiti,” Glickman said.

Area businesses have chipped in as well. Maneeley’s Banquet & Catering of South Windsor will be the food sponsor for the upcoming event. Other sponsors include the Eastern Connecticut Health Network, Imperial Oil, Windsor Volunteer Ambulance, Anis & Martin Internal Medicine Associates, and the Northeastern Sleep Disorder Center.

The event will run from 12 to 5 p.m.

Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. A little goes a long way in Haiti.

For more information visit: www.southwindsorhaitischool.org or contact Dr. Saud Anwar at saud.anwar.swtc@gmail.com or Elizabeth McGuire at erm999@aol.com. South Windsor Haiti School, Inc. is a registered 501 C 3. To learn more please read the group's annual report at http://southwindsorhaitischool.org/2012/05/2011-annual-report.