Work begins in Saintard, Haiti

By Billy Ponko

The day has come where some work has started. And it is just going to grow from here. Gerson and Heather (from Growing Hope for Haiti) have a group of their own volunteers visiting for the week and they are determined to put them to use. So we started with framing up two latrine buildings at their campsite into paneled sections. Some of the guys are contractors and some are not, but we worked most of the day and most of it in the shade, which was nice. I was able to sit with them and talk about moving forward and their land situation. 

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We visited the site and it is pretty nice. Very close to where the initial piece was when we checked it out in April. The land is flat and covered in some low sugar cane crops. There is a creek bed to one side that should help with drainage, and a road all along the east side.

There is one tree that I think we will build the community center around and an amazing view of the mountains to the south. The ocean is to the north. The people surrounding the site appeared very happy and eager to help. 

It feels good to be starting. Frank is coming on Friday and we will be working to jump start work in Saintard too. This should give Gerson and Heather time to catch up with this property. Tomorrow I am going to help them on site, get some slabs ready for the latrines and use some heavy equipment to flatten an area and make a road around the perimeter.

Oh, there have been some unbelievable lightening storms the last few nights. Blasts of thunder that tear through you and lines which move horizontally all across the sky. Some bolts have 10 fingers and seem to hang in the air. Sometimes there is rain and sometimes none, but the air always smells cleaner and has a good breeze to it and the temperature drops to bearable.
 
Learn more about the initiative of The Fuller Center in Haiti and check back soon for information on being part of a volunteer team.