The children love school more than you can imagine
By Charlene Marcinkoski
My name is Charlene Marcinkoski and I am from Alberta Canada.
I am teaching English and Spanish to the small children of Jackie's
Children’s Home here in Santo Domingo . I have 12 children
in my class ages 3 to 6 years old plus some older mentally challenged
children. These children have never received any kind of education
and I am very blessed to be able to allow them to take part in
regular school classes with me in their home.
Due to circumstances surrounding the children’s lives and
the abuse and neglect that the children have had to deal with
in their tiny little lives prior to coming to the orphanage, it
is near impossible for the children to attend a regular school
in the Dominican Republic. Many of these children also do not
have birth certificates, this also restricts there access to schooling.
Therefore Jackie (Founder of the home) has to find teachers willing
to come into the home to teach the children daily.
Through a coincidentally meeting of Sunyata Choyce though Project
COLORS approximately 1 1/2 years ago, I have been working with Jackie
here at the children’s home helping the kids. Over the last
1 1/2 I have visited the home and stayed in Santo Domingo approximately
5 times. Now my son and I are living in Santo Domingo . I am very
grateful to Project COLORS for sponsoring me to teach at the Orphanage,
it is great that people are donating to assist us with this project.
With COLORS support we are also buying a chalk board and books for
the kids, among many other needed things.
The children love school more than you can imagine. It is such
a simple thing, but brings so much joy and happiness into the
lives of these wonderful children and I just love them all so
much. The other day I asked one of my students what her favorite
animal was, because we were talking about animals and she said
"colegio" that is school in Spanish...
