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Labor ofLove
TWO SMALL TOWNS CONNECT In the midst of a year seemingly full of negative headlines, a group at Shippensburg is celebrating some almost magical news. BY KATIE (PAXSON) HAMMAKER ’93 Six years in the making, students, faculty, and alumni involved in Project Gros Mangles are seeing the fruits of their labor unfold in Haiti. A muchneeded medical dispensary on a remote Haitian island opened to the public this spring, thanks to the results of a service-learning project initiated by Shippensburg’s Global Languages and Cultures Department. Now, residents of this isolated Caribbean island have access to quality health care in their community. Previously, the closest medical center was at least two hours away over difficult, mountainous terrain. For nearly a decade, students from Shippensburg University have been providing service work for the community Gros-Mangles, a small village on the island of La Gonâve in the Republic of Haiti. The group has collaborated with the village to meet their most pressing needs, including a safe playground for children and the newly completed medical dispensary. Although the pandemic thwarted the group’s annual trip to Haiti this past spring, they were thrilled to hear the dispensary was fully staffed and operating in June. 22
SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
“This is a Ship family story,” said Dr. Blandine Mitaut, professor of global languages.
Outside the Comfort Zone
Ship students who participate in Project Gros Mangles witness firsthand a level of poverty that is unimaginable to most Americans. Yet, the students return home with a wealth of experience and insights gained through this service-learning opportunity. Project Gros Mangles was started by Mitaut and the late Dr. Agnès Ragone, a retired professor of global languages. The two were searching for a service-learning project to get members of the French Club involved in issues that affect the Frenchspeaking world. Each year, the group dives into Haitian culture and history before embarking on a service-learning trip. For most, the trip to Gros-Mangles is a huge step outside of their comfort zone. In addition to the unfamiliar foods and social norms, students must manage without running water
Eight years in the making, the collaborative work of faculty and students at Shippensburg University and a small village in Haiti has led to the opening of a muchneeded medical facility this spring.
