Dual Language Book Program
In an exciting new venture, Partners in Literacy Haiti (PILH) has begun a Book Center in the Upstate of South Carolina, USA. Our initial partner is the First Haitian Evangelical Wesleyan Church (HEW), in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. The “Dual Language Book and Haitian Heritage Center’s “ outreach will include Haitian families with babies to 8-year-olds. It is designed for Haitian-American residents already here and additional refugee Haitian families arriving steadily in the Upstate. We will strive to increase children’s bilingual Haitian Creole/English reading readiness while preserving their native language and national pride. PILH and the HEW will agree on the project’s evolution. Together they will select dual language Haitian Creole and English age-appropriate books and literacy activities. Books will feature Haitian Creole and English reading readiness, pleasure reading, character building, and heritage awareness.
In a with close collaboration from the HEW Pastor, Dr. Patrick Gué, we want to establish a prototype center. Dr. Sara Mansbach, a PILH reading specialist who has worked in Haitian libraries 14 years is the director. A volunteer PILH-trained HEW Coordinator and a 3-person HEW Volunteer Library Committee will manage and carry out the work. We will house books in a secure location, oversee cataloguing and circulation, and collect data on program impact.
With continuous improvement, PILH aspires to develop this initiative in other Haitian churches and community centers.