Forging a Future for Haiti, Part 2: Empowering Families, Transforming Futures

Episode Topic: Empowering Families, Transforming Futures

The University of Notre Dame’s Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child  works to create pathways out of adversity for the world’s most vulnerable children in 25 countries around the world, leveraging evidence-based innovations to develop effective Whole Child Development (WCD) approaches to not only advance children’s academic achievement, but also create safe, supportive, and equitable family, school, and community environments. Join Kate Schuenke-Lucien, Director for Haiti and Senior Associate Director for Strategic Planning, Father Lou DelFra ’92, M. Div. ’03, Director of Pastoral Life, Alliance for Catholic Education, and Makenzy Voltaire, Project Coordinator, Haiti for the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child for a conversation about the intersection of faith, science, and how faith communities can nurture and support families with young children. Take a deep dive into the importance of integrating the science of early childhood development with the Catholic Church’s teachings, and how Haitian parishes can empower parents. They explore the GC-DWC’s work in the home and what it means when we say that parents are the “first teachers,” and how that aligns with what we know from both Catholic Social Teaching and the latest scientific research.

Featured Speakers:

• Kate Schuenke-Lucien, Director for Haiti and Senior Associate Director for Strategic Planning
• Fr. Lou DelFra, C.S.C. '92, M. Div. '03, University of Notre Dame
• Makenzy Voltaire, University of Notre Dame

Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/93acfa.

This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled Forging a Future for Haiti. 

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Transcript

Introduction to the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 0:06

My name is Kate Shanky Lucian. I'm director for Haiti Programs at the University of Notre Dame's Global Center for the development of the whole child. Our center works to create pathways out of adversity for the world's most vulnerable children in 25 countries. Uh, the Global Center for the Development of the whole child leverages evidence-based innovations to develop effective whole child development approaches. we're not trying not only to advance children's academic achievement, but we're also seeking to create safe, supportive, and equitable family school and community environments. Managing one of the fastest growing research portfolios on the University of Notre Dame's campus. The Global Center for the development of the whole child, integrates research and practice learning and doing and all of its work from the very beginning. I'm here with today with Father Lou Fra, director of Pastoral Life at the Alliance for Catholic Education, and Mackenzie Voltaire, our project director, and coordinator for the Global Center for the development of the whole child in Haiti. Um, together. The three of us are continuing a three-part series called Forging A Future for Children in Haiti, Notre Dame's History in Haiti. The work that has been done to bolster the resilience of hasten children and families, what we've learned through our implementation science initiatives and the work that we hope to accomplish in the future. We hope that you'll find your experience with forging a future for Haiti to be insightful and engaging. We hope that you stay connected not only to us here at the Global Center for the development of the whole child, but to our global learning community at the University of Notre Dame. this episode is possible thanks to the Global Center for the development of the whole child, the Institute for Educational Initiatives. Think nd and the Notre Dame Alumni Association. So Father Lou, I'm gonna start with you first. Thank you so much for joining us. in the second session, father Lou McKenzie and I are gonna explore together the intersection of faith science and how faith communities. Can nurture and support families with young children. And this episode we're diving deep into the importance of integrating the science of early childhood development with the Catholic church's teachings and how Haitian parishes can empower parents, to support. The growth of their children. We'll explore the global center for the development of whole child's work in the home and what it means when we say that parents are the first teachers and how that aligns with what we know from both Catholic social teaching and the latest scientific research. So thank you again, Mackenzie and Father Lou for being here with me today.

fr--lou-delfra--c-s-c-_1_04-09-2025_092539 2:45

Great to be with you, Kate and Mackenzie.

makenzy-voltaire_1_04-09-2025_092539 2:47

Thanks for having us, Kate.

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 2:49

Great. Thank you. I'm gonna start with you Father Lou. Let's start by discussing something that might surprise some listeners. Science and faith are not an opposition. In fact, they actually compliment each other. I. We see this very clearly and the ways in which advances in our knowledge about how and why young children thrive dovetails with the church's teachings about how we should love each other. Father Lou, I was hoping that you could start us off by speaking, about how the Catholic faith and scientific findings about child development actually reinforce each other.

fr--lou-delfra--c-s-c-_1_04-09-2025_092539 3:23

Sure. I'm happy to. Yeah, because I think one of the, really beautiful things about, Catholic teaching. Always has been that the creator of the natural world, which and the creator of the supernatural world are one and the same God. So as we look at the natural world through scientific, lenses, and then we look at what's been revealed to us in the supernatural world by revelation, we should, find deep compatibility between what we find in those two things. And. Where, when sometimes we see incompatibility, it's usually because we. I, I think I can even say it's always because we just don't know enough in one or the other area yet. but because the natural world and the supernatural world are created by the same loving God, there should be deep compatibility in what we find in both. Um, so for example, this really plays out in, in what the Global Center researched in early childhood development. you know, um, seeing how much the early nurturing of a child, uh, sets them up for future human flourishing. how the love of parents, how the touch of parents, how the reading of parents and the sharing of vocabulary, et cetera, is so important. when we look at what's revealed to us, By the Catholic faith, for example, in scriptures. You know, one of the first things, that Genesis tells us, which is not primarily a scientific account right, of creation, it's more trying to relate spiritual truths. And, and the book really goes out of its way to kind of say God makes a, you know, quote unquote mistake by creating just one single solitary human being. And, after five days of declaring everything good. says about the single solitary human being. It is not good one to be alone and puts it asleep and creates, two human beings. and so that they can live with each other and they can live for each other. it's then and only then that we get the beautiful line in scripture. In God's own image and likeness, God created them. what's Genesis? Trying to tell us? that we're relational creatures. that from the very beginning we thrive and flourish when we're in relationship, when we're in loving relationship. that's precisely what what you all are discovering in early childhood development. it's funny, when you look at what, at some of the devotions that have become popular in the Catholic church. gosh, you, you can't, walk into a church without seeing a depiction of the holy family. And, seeing this image of. Baby Jesus with his human parents, Mary and Joseph. why does he need a loving community? He's God. he's not just God, he's also fully human. And, so needs to grow up in the context of a loving, supportive family and something deep in our own worshiping. needs has always gravitated to this image of the holy family as, for some reason being really important, and I think that just blends so beautifully with you all have discovered. I.

Catholic Social Teaching and Family Dynamics

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 6:35

That's really helpful. I just think even about that image, I've heard people talk about. The image of when Mary is holding baby Jesus, she's always looking at him, right? there's always that connection. There's a gaze, of connection when you see those, depictions of the holy family. And I think any mother or father would recognize that, right? When you have a young child, there's that instinct that we have to have that connection and to have our gaze. you know, looking, I remember as a young mom myself, those beautiful moments where you're holding your child and they're looking at you and there's just this connection where. your baby looks at you like you are the. The most wonderful. I love you so much. There's just, even before there's words or, that cognition, there's just this gaze of love, which is really wonderful. and I just love you bringing up, you know, how that the holy family, and how important family relationships are and how they're a model for how we're supposed to care for the most vulnerable. could you say a little bit more? About Catholic social teaching and what it has to say about the family and its relationship to the broader community that's embedded in how does, the holy Family or the concept of the family connect to the church's approach to parenting and child rearing.

fr--lou-delfra--c-s-c-_1_04-09-2025_092539 7:44

Sure. Yeah, because one of the most important principles in Catholic social teaching what we call the principle of subsidiarity, which is the idea that the communities that are closest to the individual in need. Are best positioned to know and meet those needs. and so if we take as, one category of a vulnerable population, if we take children, what does that mean for families? The family is the first community. The parents are the ones who know that child the best. And they, they, they are, um, entrusted. They're the first ones entrusted, not the only ones, but the first and most important ones entrusted to meet the, the needs of, uh, their children. you know, the church teaches that the family is, I love, I love this little phrase, the first school of love. You know, where children are taught the, the basics of human dignity and respect. For others. Um, and this puts a certain, um, and then when we move out to the, maybe the next concentric circle, we'd have the, the larger family. But right there we'd also have parishes, right? Um, which are so tied to the life of the family. Um, they have a responsibility to support families in fulfilling that, that role. So when we look at early childhood development. We see that children's brains are developing so rapidly in those first, uh, days and weeks, and they need, so those children need not just the basics, like food and shelter, they definitely need that. We all know that. But that brain development means they also need responsive, loving, care stimulating environments. Um, when they look up to be, to see eyes of love looking back at them. hear words, uh, and vocabulary as a regular part of their development. Um, and, uh, so Catholic social teaching doesn't just tell us that, we need to care for children. It also emphasizes that society, including the church parishes, has a role in empowering parents to provide for those needs.

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 9:58

And I, one thing, as we've made advances in science and neuroimaging and all of these things. We sort of see those deep foundational truths of the Catholic church, of what we know to be true about God and how we're formed for relationship. We see that reflected back to us in the science. you know, they'll do, neuroimaging studies that will show how, um. Babies' brains light up when they receive that loving interaction that you're talking about, the in, in their families or from other caregivers, that their brains literally light up. And there are, um, studies that have come out of some, um, children that were institutionalized, for example, in, um, Eastern Europe post communism or, um, post-Soviet Union. Um. In orphanages who didn't receive that loving, responsive care, all their physical needs were met, right? They had the right food, they had medicine, they were physically healthy. But when they do those studies of their, um, neuroimaging of their brains, there's whole sections of their brains that just don't light up because they weren't stimulated, um, when they were young children with just that love and care and that responsiveness, right? Um, and being held, you know, in the first three years of.

fr--lou-delfra--c-s-c-_1_04-09-2025_092539 11:02

a, it's just, it's literally a scientific image of the supernatural revelation that one is not created to be alone. if you could map that scientifically, you, you, you could produce that study the, the lighting up or the knot lighting up of a baby's brain. When they're in real loving relationship.

Parent Empowerment Programs & Qualitative Impact Protocol (QUIP)

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 11:22

And it's, it's crazy there, there's like something like 1 million, um, neural connections or synapses are happening per second in those early years, right from ages zero to three, just this immense time of growth. Which is why it's so important. We talk a lot about this in Haiti with families we work with, um, saying it is just your love. You don't have to, uh, have a college degree. You don't have to be, uh, even literate yourself to actually build your baby's brain, your love. Just that innate sense that parents have of loving, connecting, caring the serve and return of talking babbling with their babies or just that gaze of love. That in and of itself, that human love that we possess is enough. To, um, you know, to literally, um, build your baby's brain when your baby cries and you pick them up and hold them when they're hungry and you feed them. Um, I'll tell you a little story about, uh, Neil Boothby, Dr. Neil Boothby, who's the director of the Global Center for the development of the whole child. I used to travel. When I would go to Haiti, I would bring my young daughter with me up until she was, um, two. And you know how little babies are, they require a lot of care and you have to do things. And I am, you know, trying to, at dinner one night, I'm trying to respond to my daughter's needs and, and have a conversation with Neil. And I remember he put his arm on me and he said. You are doing such a good job. Every time you pick her up, every time you respond to her, you're literally building her brain. And I can just tell you, as a young parent, everyone, people who've had young children know you get frazzled and you think, am I even doing any good? And I remember Neil saying. Every time you respond to her, you're doing a good job. You're literally building her brain. He'll talk about how it's the closest thing he's ever seen to a scientific miracle. It's just the power of that loving, responsive connection, when you respond to a young child. So we know, I guess it's clear the, what we sort of know innately is human beings, our instinct to pick up a crying baby or to respond to them. What we know instinctually and what the Catholic Church teaches us about relationship science is now. You know, confirming all of that and backing it up for us. now that we've kind of gotten into the science, the foundational teachings of the Catholic Church and the connection between them, I was hoping that our colleague Mackenzie, who's really on the ground in Haiti, working with parents and families sort of practically to share this knowledge. So some of this, father Lou that we've been talking about, it's not that it's. Extremely intellectual. Or heady. Or incomprehensible, but it does have to be translated. All these things we're talking about do have to be translated, in a way that parents understand and are able to sort of, apply those things. You know, with their children and in their families. So Mackenzie, you are the leader of our parish base programs in Haiti, and you've been working with families and parents really closely now, for the past three years. I wondered if you could talk a little bit about how the global center for the development for the whole child is activating the home system in Haiti. We've talked in this podcast about the home. School and the church and we're, talking about all of those areas in this podcast series. But really, if you could focus in on the home and how Catholic parishes are integrating the things that Father Lou and I were talking about into these real world programs that empower parents, I.

makenzy-voltaire_1_04-09-2025_092539 14:34

Of course, Kate at the Global Center, we really do believe that parents are a child first. Teachers. we know how important the role they play is when it comes to each child's development and overall wellbeing. And that's why we focus on giving parents the tools they need to support their kids, both in and our world of the classroom. And one of the key ways we do this is through our parent empowerment program. This program is rooted in both the church teaching and the latest research in child development. these workshops which we run in collaboration with with local parish communities in Haiti, communities in Haiti, dive into some really important topics. Things like, positive parenting, child development, nutrition, and even school readiness. I. the workshops went for about seven to 10 weeks, and eight session covers different terms like, the importance of the parent, child, recent relationship, consistent care, emotional development, discipline, and self-care. the goal is to help parents build skills and routine they can easily bring into their everyday life. To support the child's growth. And we've also been rolling out with some new workshops. In 2024, we launched specific workshops designed, just for fathers and male caregivers, and also workshops for young parents or those thinking about becoming parents. This way we can make sure that the programs are relevant for everyone's, um, everyone, no, no matter who is caring for the child, it's all about creating the best possible outcome for kids and their families. I.

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 16:22

you're doing excellent work, Mackenzie, and we actually know a little bit more about the impact of the work that you and your team are doing because we're using a method method. This is where I'll get a little bit. Maybe Notre Dame or Academicy about one of the research methods that we use, which is called Quip. It stands, uh, QUIP stands for Qualitative Impact Protocol. And basically what the quip is, what the Quip does is it says instead of coming to a, a parent or a family and saying, Hey, you participated in this workshop. What were the results? Did you like the workshop? There's kind of a bias there, right? If you come in and ask somebody about a specific program you're doing, you're, they're very likely just because they wanna please you to say something positive. Say, oh yes, this really worked, or, I really learned a lot from this program. So what we do with a, with a Quip, a qualitative impact protocol is you come in and. Have researchers, data collectors who come in to talk to whatever population you've been working with. In our case, this is parents and they don't ask them, did you attend a workshop and did you like the workshop? What was the impact? You say, Hey, how's parenting going for you? have you learned anything new lately? Or they keep it very general. They do not reference the specific program, and they use open-ended questions to try to elicit. Sort of a real response from people rather than a response design. Just to please the people who are asking the questions. If anyone's interested, I think we have the possibility to put links in. If you wanna learn a little bit more about how a qualitative impact protocol works, you, you could look into it, but that's the brief description. it's trying to eliminate bias, when we're trying to evaluate how our programs are working and, So Mackenzie, given all of that, can you talk a little bit about what we've learned from the Quip? What have some of the results from the Quip looked like?

makenzy-voltaire_1_04-09-2025_092539 18:08

from what we've heard, a lot of parents have changed their approach to discipline and parenting of a role. Um, in fact, many parents said that they stopped using corporal punishment, which had a huge impact on their family dynamic and overall wellbeing. and we've also seen parents making healthier food choices for their kids at home. I can say all of these shows that when parents feel empowered and supported, they can make real changes that benefit their children in lasting ways.

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 18:43

It's really encouraging Mackenzie to hear, you know, on the ground that we're having an impact. Could you share a little bit more about, uh, an another aspect of the parenting programs we have, which is baptism training in Haiti and how that is engaging, both the church and empowering parents.

makenzy-voltaire_1_04-09-2025_092539 19:02

Absolutely Kate, as we have talked about Haiti, Catholic parishes play a huge role in community life. Each parish wants a school and is deeply connected to local families. I. Uh, that's why we focus on activating the church network, um, using it as a space to support children's growth both spiritually and developmentally. And one key way we do this is by training parish priests to include childhood development messages into the sermons. this helps parents, caregivers, and families understand how they can nurture their children's mind and heart. Uh, teaching them how to raise, um, how to raise, sorry, healthy, smart, and spiritually engaged kids. It's about connecting science and theology, um, in how we, we care for the children and trusted to us. we, we also offer baptismal preparation courses. Um. These. These are just about the ritual of baptism, though important. They're about empowering parents and families to play an active role in their children's upbringing. It's a holistic approach that blend faith, education, and practical parenting advice.

fr--lou-delfra--c-s-c-_1_04-09-2025_092539 20:20

Wow. Mackenzie, I, I, I think that is just super important, what you said about these really tangible ways that early childhood development messaging being woven into the fabric of what church is teaching. It's, it's families. That's a, that, that's just a great example of how the church can, you know, directly impact families taking care of the children that have been gifted to them. Parents who bring their children for baptism, they're bringing them because they love them and care them and want them to grow and, and that they can hear in those baptismal classes. Um, here are some of the ways that that science, uh. Helps us understand how a, a child's physical, emotional, spiritual wellbeing can flourish. Um, to be able to, to bring that to baptismal class is just a really beautiful way of, of how the church and the parish support the family. I.

Engaging Fathers in Parenting Initiatives

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 21:20

You know, and another just to kind of, piggyback on that, father Lou, another thing that I think is so empowering about those baptism sessions and the messages they're getting from the church is. I've seen parent parents in Haiti will go to absolutely extraordinary links on links under really difficult circumstances to provide for their children, right? For example, to try to to pay tuition, to send their kids to school, to provide the very best for their children. And it's almost like I've seen it when we do these trainings with parents. When they realize that they themselves, it doesn't cost any money, like they have such a powerful influence and there's so much they can do for their child that, you know, due to circumstances, they may not have extensive, financial resources or education themselves, but just to emphasize to them again. Just you, yourself, your love, you are enough and you can have a tremendous influence on your child's life. It's almost like you see, like a weight almost come off of them a bit to say, oh, I can do all of these things that don't cost any money to show my child that I love them and to develop their brain and help them to be successful, in school. just to note that, I think that is a very po and particularly in the parishes we work in Haiti, that is a very powerful message and very empowering for parents. themselves to see what they can do. you know, we've talked about faith, but the church's influence, as we know, the global church, the influence doesn't just stop with faith. It also extends into the education system. The University of Notre Dame, is a testament to that, right? That the church has a role to play really, when it comes to formal education as well. And we've really worked hard in Haiti. Not just, to work in the home and to work in the church, but also to activate the school system, and the surrounding community so that, children have ways to learn and grow and develop, and flourish. One of those things we've done is establish what we call community learning centers or CLCs. And what we, I think we'll talk more about this in another episode as well, but we've repurposed, solar powered shipping containers to create spaces where kids and families can continue this learning even when schools are closed, due to things like political unrest or natural disasters, I. Which are a common feature unfortunately, in daily life in Haiti. these centers are community run, which creates a sense of ownership and sustainability, and it gives, again, parents and children's have a space to engage in learning together. And the centers offer more than just, education. They're really adaptable and it's kind of a community gathering space when everything. When everything is chaotic and there is no sense of stability to have these community run, these CLCs community learning centers where parents can come with their children. the, they're flexible. They offer year-round access to hybrid learning, blending online tools, literacy programs, and even play-based activities. Um, the flexibility of the centers means that when schools are open or closed, there's always an option for learning. we've also made sure these. Centers are open to everyone in the community outta school, youth, older students, and even adults. So it's all about kind of using this homeschool church system to create a wraparound, wraparound services where, again, in a place like Haiti, social services really don't exist. There isn't a public library, right? Like we might think, oh, you can go to the public library, or there might be a community pool or a park district. Those things don't, um, exist in the communities. We work in Haiti, and that's where the church really plays this vital role again, of. Supporting the faith, life and development of young children, but also just literally providing spaces, um, for families and for children to engage in learning, um, both formally, um, and informally. I'll touch a little bit on another, um, aspect of what we do. We're trying to, um, work with seminarian training, with the training of seminarians in Haiti. These are gonna be the future leaders. These are the parish priests that will be spread out, um, and working with families, uh, and, and supporting schools in, in Haiti. So we're really teaching seminarians how they can work with families in need, um, especially those that are facing really extreme adversity. So we equip parish leaders to not just preach about the importance of parenting, but also to kind of get in there and actively help parents build skills and access resources. So anyways, I just wanna point out that we're trying, there's different levers that you can pull within the church system in Haiti, and we're trying to pull as many of those levers as possible to create a holistic system of support for parents, and families and children that are really in need. Mackenzie, you spoke a bit, you mentioned this a little bit earlier. You talked about a group that we often hear a little bit less about, but that are really crucial to this family dynamic, and that's fathers. So could you talk a little bit more about how you're working to engage fathers, in this empowering parent initiative?

makenzy-voltaire_1_04-09-2025_092539 26:07

Yeah, that, that's a great point. Um, fathers are absolutely critical, but in many places they, they're either not engaged enough or feel disconnected from the parenting process. Um, part of the challenge is cultural. Haiti, there's still the perception that parenting is mainly a mother's role. Um, the fathers empowerment workshops are great opportunities for us to reach fathers and to educate them on the unique role in shaping their children's development. the feedback from the male participant has been very positive as well, but we are still working on getting fathers motivated to be more involved, um, and to attend these workshops and programs.

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 26:54

Yeah, it seems like at the parish level, there really is a huge opportunity to engage fathers more directly. That's a really great. Avenue to speak to them. whether that's support groups, those continued parenting workshops or involvement in Sacramento programs like the baptism program. you know, we can really, I think those are avenues where we could really help fathers to understand the science and the theology beyond their, behind their role and just the deep importance that they play, in their children's lives and the lives of the family from a spiritual perspective. Father Lou, could you talk a little bit more about the role of fathers?

fr--lou-delfra--c-s-c-_1_04-09-2025_092539 27:29

Sure. Yeah. Yeah. And it's funny, you know, it, even in the Catholic tradition, Joseph gets, uh, uh, o overshadowed a bit by Mary A. Little bit in the, uh. the, in the Holy Family, there's a lot more icons of Mary holding the baby Jesus, uh, than there are of Joseph. But, but there are plenty of icons of, of Joseph holding the baby Jesus. And, uh, and uh, uh, raising him, teaching him his trade of carpentry, uh, of protecting. And, uh, and nurturing. So, um, so in fact, uh, the church teaches that the father's role is absolutely crucial, right? In shaping the spiritual, emotional, social wellbeing of children. fathers are called to mirror God the father's love. uh, you know, there's the beautiful moment. Uh, Jesus' disciples come and ask him, Hey, teach us how to pray. The first words out of his mouth are, when you pray, I want you to say Abba, and invites us into, his father's love and sacrifice. And, so the church is always taught that one of the father's roles is to offer guidance, stability, affection, protection, and that that mirrors the relationship between God, the father and his son, Jesus Christ, which helps families see the role. Fathers is one of great spiritual responsibility. there, there's nothing in Catholic tradition that would suggest the absence the father from the home life is a positive at all, just just the opposite. And, scientifically, like you've talked about, um, we know that father's active engagement in the lives of their children, it's through nurturing, whether it's through reading and teaching, or simply just being present, holding. in loving ways, um, contributes to healthier emotional development to later academic success for tho those children contributes to stronger social connections throughout their lives. So the church sees all of those contributions as a natural extension of a father's vocation, part of a father's vocation, which is to lead and protect both physically and spiritually.

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 29:45

That's really helpful and I think Father Li, it's something, you know, even. We all have room to grow, right? Like you look at family structures, I mean, we're talking specifically about Haiti, but it's helpful as I think about this, to think about, you know, ways even here that families, we've learned more and we can all do better. In terms of father and father's engagement, I think probably generationally you've seen a bit of a shift, even in our thinking, and hopefully that's due to the church's teaching, right? And the church supporting like, no, this is what a strong, healthy family looks like. It involves, you know, the dad loving and nurturing. Protecting and serving in the same way that, that mothers fill that role. So I think that's really helpful and something that I, it it, in a visceral sense, having grown up in a family and being part of a mother, father pair now viscerally, that makes sense to me and really resonates that again, just sort of, seeing the theology and the science come together is really, I don't know if gratifying is the right word, but it just, it feels right? That what the church is teaching is really being supported by what we're learning, through the science.

fr--lou-delfra--c-s-c-_1_04-09-2025_092539 30:48

You know, even you look at, the life of Jesus, who himself is father, but you see how he lives his life, how he looks out for the vulnerable, the social connectivity that he had with his disciples, with those, who are on the margins with those who are vulnerable. And you, and, and you. You ask. I, I wonder where he learned that, you know, and yeah, part of that is the divine relationship with the, with, with his spiritual father. But part of that is what was the household he grew up in? what did Mary and Joseph, uh, uh, teach to him about how to, how to, how to treat others.

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 31:26

I would talk about this stuff for forever, but I know that we do have a time, uh, do have a time limit. So in, in maybe, um, wrapping up, um. I wondered, Mackenzie, if you might speak to us a little bit about the biggest challenges that you've encountered in implementing these programs in the home and church system in Haiti, all the things we've been talking about. What are the challenges and what would you say are some areas where you've really seen success so far?

makenzy-voltaire_1_04-09-2025_092539 31:49

the biggest challenge and contained in implementing these programs in the family and religious system in Haiti is the lack of financial and material resources, you know, families and church. Churches often have limited resources to fully support early childhood development programs. Um, this affects access to learning materials or appropriate spaces for education, surely for educational activities or at home or in the church. And on our side, we don't have enough funds to reach more people. Uh, however, we, we, we also had some really promising successes like increased parental engagement. and training have raised awareness among parents about the importance of the role in their child's development, leading them to actively participate in home-based learning. We have also stronger collaboration leaders, uh, you know, involving churches, has partners, has helped raise awareness about early childhood education as they play a central role in the life of the community. Uh, many Religiou just leaders have incorporated messages about the importance of education in the sermons and activities. And I can say that we als we also have better support for, um, child development, that the programs have led to better coordination between families and school, with parents becoming more involved in tracking their children progress and engaging in educational, um, as we. We aim to expand the training of seminarian so they are better prepared to support early childhood development when they begin the their pastoral mission In parishes, we, we will also organize, uh, workshops for active praise to help them integrate early childhood development principles into their pastoral remission, ensuring the continuous transmission of these essential messages, um, to families.

Conclusion and Future Directions

kate-schuenke-lucien_1_04-09-2025_092539 33:58

Well, Mackenzie, we're so grateful for your work on the ground day in and day out. I know sometimes it's hard. You, you can't get to a place that you need to get to. There's been a lot of, um, it's just difficult sometimes. It's, it's tricky In Haiti, the topography, um, natural disasters, all different kinds of things can disrupt work. And you and your team have been. So steady and consistent and faithful over these past three years in really just being deeply committed and going above and beyond, um, for the, in these parishes, in the homes, in the schools, in the churches that we're working with. And we're just so grateful, and I hope you and our colleagues in Haiti know that. The Global Center for the development of the whole child and the University of Notre Dame. We are here, we're a long-term partner and really committed, um, to working with you and trying to fill some of those gaps. The reality is we, we don't ever have all of the resources that we need in order to do all of the things that we, we need to. We know need to be done. For example, we know that, um, nutrition is a big issue with a lot of our families. We can help teach families, um, about ways to improve the nutrition. Um, do everything they can on their own to love and support, um, their children and provide that love. But again, as Father Lou mentioned earlier, you know. We know that kids need shelter and they need nutrition. We need to be bringing all of those things. So we are really making a push here at the Global Center to try to move into that area of providing, deeper support for parishes, deeper accompaniment, for parents in those physical challenges that they have in meeting the needs of their children. And we've just been really blessed with a wonderful Notre Dame community that's come along, beside us and supported us. So we're gonna keep doing our part. To support you, and we just are so grateful for the work that you continue, to do on the ground. So thank you Father Lou and Mackenzie for joining me today for sharing your wisdom and insight. and just thank you to all of you for joining us this month on ThinkND. On behalf of the Global Center for the Development of the whole child and ThinkND, I hope you enjoyed the episode and that you will join us next time as we talk about social enterprise and dig deeper into some really creative and out of the box thinking about how we can provide some of that financial and resource support to parishes, and communities that we serve in Haiti. Until next time, inspire your mind and spark conversations.