Gerard Butler delighted kids in Haiti by directing their school nativity play.
The star recently visited the tragedy-hit Caribbean island, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2010 and hit by a hurricane in 2016, with Mary’s Meals, a charity that helps impoverished children get nutritious school meals.
While meeting kids at the Ecole Communautaire Saint Michel de Morne Mouton in Mirebalais, the 300 star was invited to direct their Christmas production – an offer he enthusiastically accepted.
Describing how directing the play was a challenge as resources were scarce, Gerard said: “You get there and there are no costumes, no nothing, so we were really starting from scratch.”
However, he was surprised by the kids’ ability to create an amazing play with little in the way of costumes, equipment, or sets.
“They surprise you with their ingenuity and how they make the most of what little they have,” the Scottish actor added. “And suddenly you’re like, ‘This looks like a proper play!’ It was way more than charming, it was incredible.”
The 49-year-old’s visit to Haiti came just weeks after his Malibu home was destroyed by the California wildfires and he said the trip had improved his mood.
“I’ve been cheered up no end by these beautiful souls who, despite living in a country that has gone through so much hardship, have nothing but love to give,” Gerard gushed. “Communities are transformed by what Mary’s Meals does to feed children in a place of education.”
Mary’s Meals feeds more than 40,000 children in Haiti and more than 1.3 million in 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean.
Supporters of the charity can feed a child for a whole year by donating just $19.50 this Christmas.
