It was while I cried under the bed because of being frightened by the shots being fired by the gang members and thought of the many lives taken because of carelessness that I knew my project had to be started. I knew that the kids had to endure violence on a regular basis and I knew I had to do anything to take away the violence that hindered their success. I remember reading about Lo Debar in the bible. It was a city of destruction, high poverty and violence rates and realized that Sav-la-mar was just like that. I now decided to start my own nonprofit organization entitled Emerging from Lo Debar”, which helps children from underprivileged countries with substantial violence rates, prevail against the barriers that restricted their future. I went to Hudson Street Early Childhood Center, the school that I attended when I lived in Sav-la-mar, and talked to the principal about my project. That following summer, I traveled to Jamaica, started tutoring the students, and continued my program every summer since then. I worked on their phonics, reading, and math abilities. On certain occasions, we worked from my home in Jamaica so they would feel comfortable. Then, I created my “What’s going on” pen pal system. The kids from Miami in Norland Elementary and Carol City Elementary School would write on monthly topic given by me, like the meaning of a hero, and I would take the letters to the students in Jamaica. Next, I created sponsorship letters and asked Jamaica afflicted businesses in Jamaica and Miami to fund the supplies to rebuild the school. After receiving enough funds, I was able to start rebuilding Hudson Street Early Childhood Center.
