ITIAH Angels for Learning (IAFL) is extremely grateful for the generous donation from The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey. The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey kindly donated four bags of brand new toys to the students at the École Mère Louise (EML) school. IAFL and the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey both are organizations committed to fostering the wellbeing of children, particularly children who have faced and continue to navigate through adverse childhood experiences. IAFL’s vision is to work towards eliminating extreme poverty and hardship, starting with one student at a time. With the generous contributions from the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey, IAFL is thankful to continue making a difference in these students’ lives.
Donna Presma, the CEO and President, and Dolores Bryant, the Vice President of Trauma-Informed Child Welfare, Kinship, and Clinical Services highlight their passion for helping children in their statement: “The Children’s Home Society of NJ is pleased to support Itiah Angels for Learning. We are so very pleased to be able to share the toys we sent and that they had made such a positive impact on your wonderful children. Just one smile from one of your children receiving these toys gives our hearts great joy. Every child deserves a happy holiday with presents. God bless them all.”
Haiti has experienced many challenges. Children are frequently exposed to food insecurity, political instability, and natural disasters such as last year’s August earthquake. Under these conditions, it can be challenging for children to have normal childhoods. IAFL is optimistic that these new toys will help provide these students with a source of comfort amidst the chaos they often experience in their surroundings. According to the Center of Child Counseling, having positive experiences such as entertainment and toys can help children thrive. Through playing with toys, children have the opportunity to be creative and use their imaginations to create stories. Toys provide children an outlet for relieving stress and developing important social skills. Children can also use toys as tools to understand the world and recreate situations they have experienced (Center of Childhood Counseling, 2020). Playing with these toys can do wonders to support the mental wellness of these students. In Haiti, where it is common for many children to experience traumatic situations, these toys are quite needed.
It is so important for children to be children. This toy donation will be greatly loved by the students at EML. IAFL is hugely grateful and hopes to continue working with the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey in the future!
Written by Serina Bernardo
Sources:
https://www.centerforchildcounseling.org/positive-childhood-experiences-pces-and-play/