This spring Volleyball BC made a donation of 18 volleyballs to Athletes in Action (AIA) for the AIA March high school volleyball tour to Les Cayes, Haiti. Athletes in Action traveled to Camp Mahanaim, a children’s camp in Southern Haiti, to promote the sport of volleyball by teaching volleyball skills to the campers and hosting a tournament for the top teams in Haiti.

Nicole Bazin, one of the AIA tour directors for the trip, described the camp: “Camp Mahanaim is run by the Wray Family and is attended by Haitian children aged 8 to 12. The camp gives children a chance to ride bikes, play on water slides, and eat three meals a day. For many of the children being able to take part in these types of events is a rarity, especially with the country’s difficult recovery from the devastating 2010 earthquake.”

Five Athletes in Action volunteers made the trip, and while at the camp they hosted a volleyball tournament that was attended by the top teams in Haiti, including the men’s and women’s national teams. The AIA athletes participated in the tournament and worked on volleyball skills with the teams and children attending the camp.

“The trip was a huge success and while the camp already had volleyball courts, we believe there will be lasting impacts from the drills and training techniques we were able to teach to the teams,” explained Nicole. “The Volleyball BC donated balls were left with the camp for the children and Haitian teams to use for their training.”

Athletes in Action has developed a strong relationship with the camp and hopes to send more athletes to Haiti in the future. They also have a Men’s volleyball tour travelling to Costa Rica this August.