Back to "The Pines"

Thursday 15 July

By doing the washing up on Saturday I was able to jump the queue to join the school building team on Monday and arriving on site has brought back memories of building the bungalows in Fareham in the late 70s. We could certainly do with the tools, equipment and materials we had then.

We leave early (load at 6.30) and stay all day, returning at about 3.30. This is the 3rd school so far. And while I remember - for those of you who gave me cash to bring here - I've put it all towards school no. 4 as a rich American has been matching all the money donated for school build, so altogether we've added around $1000 which just about completes the $20000 needed for the materials for each one. Most of the cost is timber and cement. Over the years, Haiti has been almost completely de-forested to make charcoal for cooking so all timber has to be imported. the other effect is that much of the soil in the foothills has been washed away leaving large scars of bare rock.

This school site is in the countryside outside Leogane, about a mile down an unpaved track (fun after the almost daily heavy afternoon showers. It feels a long way out of town. No traffic, healthier(ish) animals including some turkeys, a mix of largish fields of maize and tiny smallholdings.

More on the school build next time - thanks for watching this space!