Along with Artex Barn Solutions, we are partnering with Food for the Hungry Canada and Haiti (FH) to build a much-needed school in the village of Mateguasse in Belladere, Haiti. This is the mid-year report, and we are so happy that the school will be opening soon!!
FH is close to completing the school construction in Mateguasse. The roof is entirely completed and FH is very satisfied with the work of the roof company. Now the focus is on the fence and sanitary block (latrine stalls). The fence is already half-built and the sanitary block is in phase one. FH is working on obtaining furniture for the classrooms—desks, benches, chalkboards.
The poor condition of the entrance road to the school has been an obstacle during construction, an issue which FH continues to discuss with the Belladere local government. FH feels it has been in the best interest of the community for the longer term to continue to urge the government to take up its responsibility rather than to step in and provide the repairs. FH has developed a relationship with the Belladere deputy who has supported FH’s requests and has promised to help. FH is hopeful that once the school construction is finished, the municipality will repair the road.
FH has an agreement with the local Catholic nuns to run the school upon its completion. The nuns have asked that construction be completed by early July so that they can take possession and prepare the classrooms for the start of the new school year in September.
Construction activities are on target to meet this deadline and a meeting took place between FH and the Nuns to discuss next steps in the preparation, which will include parents and children. When the Mategouasse school is complete, attention will turn to Cachiman where a national school was started last year but is overcrowded and lacks sufficient sanitary facilities. The quality of education here is much better than in the private schools of Cachiman so there is a significant waiting list to attend.
At the beginning of the fiscal year, FH began training 15 students from schools in Cachiman on how to grow vegetables and establish a fruit tree nursery; they continued to work at the nursery until December 2017.
FH then distributed trees from the nursery to roughly 150 community members, mainly cedrela odorata1 and mango trees. This activity was being conducted on a borrowed piece of land that had to be vacated after the seedling distribution. FH staff are talking with the principal of the Cachiman national school and hope to establish a nursery there next fiscal year, and plan to start this activity in Mategouasse for the next school year.
We can't wait to visit again next year!
