Storming the Castle: NYAM: The Soup Kitchen Children

I'm on my way to the soup kitchen, still about 20 yards away when I hear it "Teacher!" I look up to see about 20 smiling faces bobbing towards me. Shrieks of joy and I'm surrounded in a giant bear hug. Arms at all heights are grabbing my things. Let me tek yuh books, yuh bags, yuh bokkle. My heart melts as I smile back. Today is going to be tough.

A what dis word b-e-a-k? Sound it out. What sound does B make? Whoa, watch the shirt as a sticky three year old pulls his way up into my arms. Miss, miss! Look miss! Cyar, cat, rat, hat. I can get a sticker now miss? Whoops dodge the soccer ball flying at my head. Miss, I cyan ave a likke ice water? Styrofoam cup pieces fly from Kashwayne's mouth onto little Ricardo, the same three year old who was trying to scale my leg earlier. Here it comes: smack, smack. Blows fly back and forth. Theresa of course steps in to defend her brother and now three arms are flying. Some beaks are small. Some beaks are for p-p- Do you remember what we said about hitting? Use your words!

They love showing off for the camera.

This is the parking lot of the the local soup kitchen. The children...well my neighbor Ms. Beulah calls them "street children." Sandy (a fellow PCV) and I call them the soup kitchen children. They aren't in school because they can't afford it. (School is free in Jamaica but you have to have shoes, a uniform, lunch money, taxi money...) Many of them come from troubled homes. There are more of them every day. They range from ages 2 to 16 and are at all different levels. They are the most challenging and most rewarding part of my day.

What am I doing there? Well, it started with Sandy and I trying to fill in for some of what they are missing by not going to school. We play math games, read stories, talk about science, make maps, and study calendars. We've also started treating some cuts and scrapes and Sandy even started treating their animals too! The children have been very responsive, asking for "school" on the days that the soup kitchen isn't open.

First it was just the young children, then the teenagers started coming.
Now, the puppies come too!

From surveying the community we realize that the ultimate goal of this project is to get the children back into school and we are simply filling a temporary gap and serving as mentors. In fact, that's what Sandy has named it: the Negril Youth Activities and Mentoring Center, or the NYAM center. Nyam is patois for eat, similar to the english expression "chow down."

A cross country team's service trip had a positive impact through playing soccer.

I think about the students all the time, and have great dreams for the NYAM center. The vision is to introduce the students to community members (some of whom have already expressed interest) and facilities (we have trips to the fire department and health center lined up) so that they have positive role models in their life and that they can learn to take care of themselves using their community resources. A cross country team from the states came for a service trip. They had a really positive impact playing soccer with them, so a sports league might be a key element of the center as well. People are noticing the work that we do at the soup kitchen. I'm starting to get called "teach" on the streets even though most of my days are spent doing environmental work. When I was first assigned to Negril, Jamaica with the Peace Corps I was afraid there wouldn't be need. I'm realizing how unfounded my fears were. I'm happy to have found the soup kitchen children. Some mornings I'm tempted to yell "Students!" and run to them before they can get to me.