Mike Curran - Carpentry Team - looks back on Build it Week

It’s been two weeks since our trip to Haiti. Over 280 people journeyed half way around the globe to help people less fortunate than themselves. The plan was to build 40 houses and by the end of the week that’s pretty much what we did, the job was done. But that’s only the headline story to what was an amazing experience for all those who took part. Many of those who travelled here may return next year, some may not, but I doubt if any will forget their week in Haiti.

I was part of the advance group of foremen who arrived a few days early to prepare for the arrival of the main group. We thought these few days would be about familiarising ourselves with the site, organising materials for the houses and a chance to work alongside the locals to get a feel for how the Haitians build houses. Little did we know, there was no time for any of that! The houses where the volunteers would be staying were far from ready. We spent those first few days checking and repairing plumbing and electrical, setting up beds, mattresses, pillows, mosquito nets and fans for each of the houses. The main site kitchen had yet to be set up and the equipment to be installed…as soon as the concrete floor had been poured! We had a mountain to climb and there were times I thought we weren’t going to make it. But with the help of the locals and the tireless Haven staff we managed to pull it together. Sunday came and the main group of volunteers arrived, oblivious to the chaos that went before, and took up residence in the houses as if to the manor born.

Monday came…. the first day of Build it Week, and I got to meet the carpentry team. Trish our team leader did the first roll call of the week – I should have known she was a teacher, it was such a breeze for her! She works with special needs children back home and she brought all of that warmth and good humour with her. Everyone loved her….if Carlsberg did team leaders…

The team was split into two groups. The first group started work on the roofs of two blocks of houses; within a couple of hours things were running quite smoothly. Leaders emerged naturally; some of the guys were used to organising their own crews back home. It’s the people who never set foot on a building site before that really amaze; teachers, accountants, journalists and brokers carrying timber and galvanised sheeting all day in the blistering heat.

The second group of carpenters are working at the other end of the site building an extension to the local school as well as constructing a basketball and volleyball court. The mortar for the blocks and the concrete is all mixed by hand, all the sand for plastering is sieved by hand – its back-breaking work but nobody complains – they’re here to do whatever needs to be done.

In the evenings there’s time to relax and have a few beers. Team night out is dinner and drinks and we sing all the way there and all the way back on the bus. I’ve never seen a more united group. The following night is talent night and turns out these carpenters have got talent and it’s not just with timber. The whole team turns into a dance troupe raising temperatures even higher with a brilliant version of YMCA coached by Laura a woodwork/dance teacher who has got the moves on the dance floor as well as on the roof.

The week goes by in a flash. All the roofs get finished. In five days, 17 roofs are completed, the school is plastered and painted and the kids are slam dunking on the basketball court. All the work has been carried out in temperatures of over 44 degrees, these are record highs even for Haiti! I still don’t know how the guys on the roof managed to work in that heat with no shade from the sun at any time of the day.

But the trip isn’t just about building houses - lifetime friendships have been forged between people who a few days before would never have known each other and but for the unique mix of Build it Week might never have met. They’ve sweated, laboured, laughed and danced together all week and all for the same reason – to help a little. The experience has touched each of us. Imagine – it’s a little slice of what Lennon was singing about…

Myles McHugh - Catering - looks back on Build it Week

When we were told that we were allocated to the “Catering” team, many of us did not know what to expect. When we arrived at Ouanaminthe on the first night, we were immediately summoned to the kitchen where Alan Mc Kenna welcomed us. He told us that we had an immediate task to serve our fellow volunteers with food which had been prepared prior to our arrival. The first thing that I noticed was that the kitchen was very well equipped. Having carried out our first task, we had a team meeting and began to organise for breakfast on Monday morning. Roles were allocated with Alan taking charge of the Kitchen group and John Brennan taking charge of what we described as “front of house”.

We had a core group who stayed in the Catering team for most of the week while some volunteers took time out to get involved in the direct building work. Many volunteers joined the catering team as substitutes and this added to the fun in the kitchen.

George Hook described the catering crew as an eclectic group in his article in the Sunday Independent. He was so right. Starting with George himself, his fried eggs caused a real stir on the first day. Our core team in the kitchen along with Alan included Rosaleen, Rena, Tom, Vinnie (Amazing Grace), Joey and Hayley. The front of house team was led by John Brennan (How’s the water doing?), Mary (The Real Boss), Aoife (Up the Déise), Emer (I’m not actually from Paris), Dennis (I’m from Cork by the way) and myself.

Who could forget the wonderful Crowley family of Geraldine, Jean and Bernard? We were also joined by Rita, Olive, Julie and Candice whose lunchtime gig went down very well. Of course we also had the surprise of the week when June and Dave became engaged. Many friendships were forged among the team and I expect many of the group back again with Haven. We may not have laid many blocks, plastered many walls or completed any roofs but we did feel that our role was very important to the overall Build it Week.

Dr Ross Ardill - Medical Team - looks back on Build it Week

The recent week in Ouanaminthe was a great success and enjoyable experience for all the Medical Team. This was partly due to the excellent preparation and provision by Drs Niall and Maria who had ‘begged, stole and borrowed’ very comprehensively to kit out our surgery extremely well. The personal responsibility taken by the majority of all the volunteers, regarding their health, also meant that the medical team were not overwhelmed with trivial or self inflicted complaints; this freed up the medical services for the purpose which we were there.

Finally the excellent standard of food and hygiene maintained by Alan and the catering team meant that the dreaded ‘gastro outbreak’ did not occur. Thankfully there were no major traumas or injuries during the week nor were there any serious medical emergencies – all who ventured out – returned.

Many of the Medical Team were therefore able to assist other teams for several days with us contributing to the Catering, Painting, Carpentry, Plumbing, Masonry and Water teams – an experience which was hopefully beneficial to both parties! Certainly the carpenters had a good laugh on several occasions at my expense and Cillian was the most auspicious apprentice the plumbers ever had! The overlap also meant that first aid / medical expertise was on hand throughout the site which was in retrospect, a good idea.We enjoyed the opportunity to contribute to and with the other ‘Build it Week’ teams to hopefully bettering the lives of some families in Haiti. We look forward to 2010.

David Sorohan - Masonry - looks back on Build it Week

My cunning plan to arrive a little late for check in at Dublin airport worked a treat as I was handed a boarding card for first class (bonus!). A few hours later the coach trip through The Dominican Republic (Dom Rep) brought me back to earth with a bang, how six buses managed to weave their way through five-man mopeds and over-laden pick-ups, whilst driving around monster pot-holes into on coming traffic is beyond me. As poor as The Dom Rep appeared, it was no preparation for what awaited us on the far side of the Haitian border. Our convoy (under armed U.N. protection) crawled through local crowds, who were out in force to greet us, as it slowly dawned on us that the reason it was so dark was that these people were living with no electricity! They sat by candle-light, waving up at us from small tables by the side of the road.

After our first night under our carefully tucked-in mosquito nets it was off to work. Clearly word had spread that I had snagged a 1st class seat on the flight and it was time for some pay back! I don’t know where Mr. Buckley found the plastering sand but it was certainly a devious mind that decided that it would all have to be sifted/riddled by hand in 40 degree plus heat. It was indeed the no.1 job to be avoided – some of us (James, Michael, Brian, Owen, myself) were a little slower than most to figure this out but on the upside we won’t need to be investing in an ab-king-pro anytime soon!

The water flowed all day and the beers started to flow well into the night, a lot of work done while the sun was up, backed up by a lot of sh**e talked while it was down. There were stories of giant tarantulas to be avoided on late night toilet runs, a lad getting a three am alarm call only to wake up staring into the eyes of a goat and not forgetting a certain foreman (name withheld for legal reasons) who we found asleep, standing up in the corner of our front room at 4:30am after the first day of work/beer!

“Work hard, play hard” as a certain Irish contractor puts it and we certainly did! The blood and the sweat were followed by inevitable tears on “Hand-Over” day. To witness the joy on the faces of the families as they received the keys to their new homes and to hear the laughter of the children as they burst through the gates to their playground has to be one of the most rewarding experiences anyone could ever have.

Thanks to the Buckley family, the fantastic Haven staff and all the volunteers for a life changing week.

Tom Tannion - Plumbing and Electrics - looks back on Build it Week

I enjoyed writing the blog whilst we were in Haiti. The adventure was a tangible opportunity to make a bit of difference in the lives of very poor people. Some weeks on, I still find it difficult to talk about certain incidents without becoming emotional:

*The random group of people in a truck who stopped and serenaded our team as we worked on the project at the school;

* The children singing and dancing for us at the orphanage;

* Seeing first hand, the sorts of houses families actually live in – and of course the handover ceremonies.

The week carried an immense amount of laughter, banter, good humour and very, very hard work. We were a self-contained community living and working in and around a small compound. A dedicated team prepared our meals. With little structure and a lot of creativity we made our own entertainment and we quickly became cohesive teams intent on meeting the goals that had been set. When I described our achievements to an American colleague he said: “Wow! Sounds like ‘Habitat for Humanity’ on steroids!” That’s fairly apt.

Other than the aches and pains of hard work and fitful nights of sleeping in the heat, I suffered little. A fungal infection of my foot (“very common” said the on-site doctor) and scalded knees from going to the toilet at lunchtime – taller volunteers will know what I mean! I thank and applaud the generosity of spirit of all who went to Haiti and for those who provided sponsorship. My verdict?

I’ve already got the Haiti October 2010 week in my diary – guess that says it all.

Jean Van Sinderen-Law Looks back on Build it Week

I decided to become a volunteer when I heard about the plight of people in Haiti who due to poverty and lack of support were unable to protect their children by providing them with a secure home. As a parent I empathised with those in Haiti who like parents all over the world so badly want the best for their children.

The Haven project promised to provide homes for hundreds of people, many of them children. With support from those who provided the funds as well as from my family I embarked on this journey with a sense of trepidation, not knowing what lay ahead. The magnitude of the project really only truly dawned on me as we crossed the Dominican Republic - Haitian border in the dark of late evening time and were greeted by a UN

convoy to lead us safely to Ouanaminthe.

What began that night could truly be described as an enriching experience and a unique adventure. The volunteers were amongst the warmest and most generous people I have ever met, representing all ages and walks of life. United by one resounding goal, to build 40 houses in one week, we broke into teams lead by capable individuals. Time was not on our side so everybody maintained focus on his/her task and the bond which formed so early on prevented anyone from letting the team down. It was hard but exceptionally rewarding work. We had great fun on the water team ably lead by Sarah and ensured that the heat and humidity did not lead to dehydration of the volunteers and our Haitian colleagues. The joy of waking up to the Haitian dawn, healthy and fit, in the company of new friends with tasks to be done will remain with me forever.

Laughs abounded and craic was had particularly at the wonderful and varied evening entertainment. I never imagined I would enjoy my week in Haiti to the extent that I did, it was enriching, memorable and rewarding – it was a real privilege to be part of a truly wonderful team and project, it is without any hesitation that I would recommend anyone to become part of this evolving journey.

Deirdre Conroy- Painting Team - looks back on Build it Week

You know you’ve lost the plot when you take your paintbrush and tray home at night. But you learn quickly on Build it Week, and while we thought we were prepared, nothing can quite prepare you for the real thing. While we painters were thought to have been given the soft jobs – it was tough, that rollin, rollin, rollin down in Haiti. Our twenty-seven strong team didn’t have the easiest start, with a shortage of equipment and paint, but we got stuck in with whatever we could find. Though, the sight of row upon row of unpainted houses was daunting in that heat on our first Monday morning, we had one house finished in the first hour, such was the enthusiasm and jostling for position to get a wall in the shade.

The Painting Team had more than its fair share of girls which we hope the lads appreciated, it certainly came in handy for the choreography, the Painting Team were the fearless openers of Haven’s Got Talent, and it was looking real good until The Finishers stole the whole show.

I know our patient foreman, Ian, will have despaired at my lack of skill at the beginning, who would have thought you could splash and spray so much?? With the tutelage of Brendan and Jim, techniques like ‘cutting in’ were honed and suddenly by Thursday with an abundance of paint there was a sunny disposition on the walls of the Haven village, courtesy of the Painters. We also had the privilege of handing over the first house, wonderfully customised by our talented crew, a moving moment for us and no doubt more so for Anouse Emmanuelle, Elien Nelson and their three daughters.

Deirdre Conroy Haven Blog Final Night - 31.10.09

The six bus convoy makes its way across the border and we leave all the tarantulas, cockroaches and some happier families behind as we head towards a shower and a bed for the night in Puerta Plata. I have come away with Builder’s Foot and Masonry Hair, those boots wont be going back on for a while and a hot shower wont go astray. It’s nearly a five hour journey and I am entertained for most of it by Ronan Plumber in Chief, until the Haiti fatigue takes over and I drop off into deep sleep. We are both agreed that Ireland’s recession is the reason we were able to make time to plan this trip. Fundraising wasn’t easy for anybody and some funded themselves to get here and came early to prepare the site for the rest of us. Those of us in the construction industry are not as busy as we used to be and long may it continue that we find the time and energy to give ourselves to those who need a hand up.

Three hundred Irish, a Scot and a Frenchman on their last night together – after dinner and speeches, it was off to the Hallowe’en party in the hotel night club. At last some real drinks! Prestige, our Haitian beer on site was grand, our lot must have drunk Haiti dry, but I’ll be glad not to see another can for a year........ which must mean that we are already considering coming back..

Dancing in coffins in the club ended at around 3am, the volunteers going back to Dublin had to be on their bus for 5am, so, clearly, the thing to do was go into town to the local night club. Our dedicated water girl Sarah volunteered to go and get them back, I can’t give you a first-hand report from there, we had been on the go for nearly 24 hours at that stage and it was the real bed that won out. But I’m happy to report by Sunday 1 November, 50 of our sturdiest party stalwarts made it from that club directly to the bus and airport...

What kept me going all week was the thought of a few days recovery in neighbouring Dominican Republic, where I and queen of the plumbers stuck a pin in the map and found a hotel in Cabarete, the kite surfing capital of the world. As luck would have it, two of the other volunteers were coming here as well (they’ll be the guys emptying the mountain of socks out of their surfboard bags on the video). Leslie’s son Paddy, Ed, Susan and I all piled into a taxi and headed along the Atlantic coast for another hour, the guys for the kitesurfing and us to collapse under a parasol.

Our jaws dropped when we got to our hotel, standing in the foyer, we could see the big blue ocean and coconut trees swaying a few metres away. We’d made it!

Susan and I had learned to live with two items of clothes a day, the most basic of washing and sleeping and non-stop work, we were now faced with options – eating, swimming, drinking, walks on beach, browsing in shops – after only one week, we realised how little we could do with and didn’t know where to start...... by the end of the day, having had a look around Cabarete, we were fascinated at how different the two cultures on the same island could be. In Haiti, there are a lot of questions to answer, hopefully, as Haven and Irish volunteers continue to go there, we will help them to help themselves.

I have to thank all my donors for sending me out on Build it Week for Haven and Haiti – Mick, Johnny, Stephen, Peter C, Peter F, Pete C, Manfredi, Liam, Tim, Hilary, Paul and Geoff

I dedicate these blogs to my two sons Cameron and Finlay, and hope they will be inspired to come out next year, as they are two strong, able-bodied party men themselves and I hope my own house is still standing when I get home.

END

Deirdre Conroy Haven Blog Final Day - 31.10.09

The generator blew up because of overload and 45 degree heat – but the volunteers haven’t dropped yet. Hard to believe we are still up at 5.30 after the very late and stupendously successful Haven’s Got Talent. It was full of surprises, not least for one woman whose boyfriend got up to play the Lonely Boatman on his tin whistle, and then proceeded to recite a poem. While we all thought, nice idea but not really appropriate for the kind of entertainment we need right now, the poem went on, me thinking it was a tribute to his mother, only to end with him taking something out of his pocket and making a very novel and public marriage proposal to the unsuspecting girlfriend. If you could capture the look of shock on all the girls in the room, and the resounding applause and cheers – it was the first OMG moment of the night. The finale, which apparently was on youtube within half an hour, was the FULL Full monty, with a cracking line up of Haven’s Finest. They were the Finishes Team and what a finish, they won of course, and gamely gave us an encore to remember.

Saturday morning and some of us are still working to get the houses ready for handover to the families, each team has prepared a house and we have left a variety of sleeping bags, tools, boots, torches, towels and goodies in them. All are painted and the doors festooned with ribbons, each family has arrived dressed in their finest, there is a mixture of bewilderment and relief, tears and many cheers, when each ribbon is cut. After hours of ceremony in the killing midday heat we move on to open the playground, and the rush of children in to try out the slides and swings for the first time, make the weeks toil so worth it. For these children, it is not the roof on the house that makes all the difference but the play space dedicated solely to them. I think I’m too hot and tired to get emotional about the handover, these are happy moments for the families and I need all my energy just to keep moving, it isn’t until we go down to the school and during Leslie’s speech to open the basketball court that I have to reach for the hem of my t-shirt. At 65, he tells us this is the second happiest day of his life, after his wedding day, and dedicates the basketball court to a brave sportsman, Stuart Mangan, in whose memory a plaque is erected. The overflowing goodness, untiring enthusiasm of the sticky, hot and smelly volunteers has come full circle. We make our way to our buses and one more long journey to the Dominican Republic.

During the week our teams had started their own initiatives to help many of the families and orphans and orphans we met. Declan, one of the head foremen, told us all about the condition of the toilet block in the school and proposed a small donation from each of us – to arrange to build 6 new cubicles, with running water. This plan got even more ambitious and cost effective, when Ronan Plumber in Chief got involved and devised a plan to link the pump and generator from the houses to the school. That day we raised double the amount required, over six thousand dollars, and that meant we could expand the power and water facilities to the houses as well. After one of our visits to a local family who could not afford to send their children to school, the Painting Team, spearheaded by my painting mate, Brendan, raised enough funds to send each of them to school for five years to ensure they all finish their education, the money is given over to Farah, the local community liaison, who will make all the arrangements and keep us up to date.

Monaghan Muriel of the infamous Plumbing and Electrical Team rounded up the lads for a few quick-fire sessions of Texas Hold-Em, with her inimitable scamming techniques she relieved them of 1,000 dollars which, with great pride and love, was given to Mauviette for her orphanage. Through other anonymous donations, Leslie announced that a house is now being bought for the orphanage to house 100 children. Change has come.

Just one more blog to go!

Fri. 30th Oct – midnight

Tonight we had “Haven’s Got Talent”. I was delighted to be asked to be backing singer to Sarah (the Water Girl). If Carlsberg did water girls…

The fact that we did it in drag wasn’t a problem either. Jerry Pat said “We wouldn’t do this at home!”

Mike wants to say “Hi” to Shane. He’s sad that Gizmo the dog got killed too. We hear a lot about you at work, Shane. Mike really loves you. You and I are both lucky to have Mike, he really is a great guy.

I still have one whiskey bottle to give away. It was close, but I’ve decided to give it back to Leslie. He started Haven and gave me the opportunity to experience this massive adventure, Declan you are capable of scoring your own whiskey, you got a ride in a helicopter, for f**ks sake and Mike before this night is through, we will probably share a bottle. So Leslie it’s yours!

I want to take this opportunity to mention my good friend Jimmy. I didn’t mention you in my blog all week, but you know where you are up there looking down on us that you were never out of my mind. May you rest in peace. I’ll never forget the good times we had together.

Tomorrow we leave, 41 houses completed. We were never going to fail with myself and Declan in charge. Will we all meet again? I don’t know, but I know there is life in me yet and I would like to thank each and every one of the volunteers for making this project work.

And Deirdre thanks again. I hope you get to meet Theresa too, she is even better than you think in real life!

Mom & Dad, Frank, Eileen & Margaret, my family before I met Theresa – thanks for your support forever.

Theresa, Jack, Luke & Adam and my little princess Kate, it won’t be long now before I’m telling ye all the stories face to face.

Xxxxx

John

PS Bu the way, the toilets in the school will be built. Hugh will be looking after it. The actual spec and budget have yet to be decided.

And the bottle of whiskey never made it back to Leslie – John and Paddy opened it together and where it finished…. No one knows.

John O’Connor Fri 30th Oct 3:45 am

This whole trip is such an emotional roller-coaster, sometimes I want to get off, to jump off, sometimes, I wish it could last forever.

I must say I have enjoyed every single moment so far & I wouldn’t change a thing. I gave Badger a bottle of whiskey. He’s been helpful and given me good advice and I gave one to Alan McKenna too and got a chance to tell him what I thought about his kitchen etcs, I enjoyed that.

I must give one to John Henry too, head of security – very helpful also – and Gerry from logistics. I should have asked for more than six bottles. Everyone has been so kind.

I want to wish all the best to my leaving cert class of ’84 who are having their re-union this weekend. Obviously, I won’t be there.

Before I forget, I must really thank Deirdre for typing out my blog for me…. Why don’t you write one of your own next year. Ha Ha!

Hi to all at home. Are ye going to the rugby tomorrow?

“If Carlsberg did builders, then Marcel would be one” – quote from Ronan Clarke

Deirdre Conroy Haven Blog Day 5 - 29.10.09

It’s 3pm Friday afternoon and hard to believe it’s our last working day. There’s a big push on to meet our target and even getting to write this blog has had to be postponed. I’ve been on site for nine hours, and with rest breaks needed for just that; thinking, never mind writing is a challenge. My roommate and I agree that we have reached the point of being truly mingin’, nothing else can describe the grime encrusted skin and we don’t understand how aid workers manage for months in this heat and these conditions. Though what has been done this week would never be undertaken under normal circumstances, twelve new houses have been fully completed from foundation on Monday and the other 188 houses are being finished out and painted as I write. A playground has been built and must be the only place with swings and slides in northern Haiti. The new class room is built and painted, the basket ball court finished, mango trees planted. Hundreds of locals have come on site this week and worked alongside us, ate alongside us, and last night danced and drank alongside us. A popular Haitian band with their voudou priest lead singer rocked the place and we must be acclimatising as the party went on until at least midnight. Everybody is quieter today, more to do with the pressure of finishing off and getting the site ready for handover to the beneficiaries tomorrow.

Before the band came on last night I had been on catering duty, not, I hasten to add, doing anything creative in the kitchen. It gave me a chance to see the volunteers from the other side of the counter. Standing in one spot for two hours dishing out carrots and peas, rhubarb and custard is definitely more painful than holding the paintbrush. Alan, our Marco Pierre White, took me out to see his own secret haven, the cold store container, a great chill out moment. This is where he stores his chicken sourced from Santiago in Dominican Republic and meat from Miami, and his deadly doughnuts. He has taken three weeks annual leave at his own expense to come out here and get the kitchen built (which will be a community centre when we leave). He designed it, sourced the equipment himself and unpackaged the units the night we arrived and was setting it up overnight in time for our first breakfast. Earlier in the year he visited Santiago as it turned out to be the best source of food and his suppliers there were so impressed with the project that much of the produce is supplied at cost.

Before going on catering duty I went off-site and off road with John Henry, head of security, who drove myself and three of our volunteers from Portlaoise to visit families way off the beaten track. First we drove to the border and as it was still daylight we got out and walked the no-mans land between Dominican Republic and Haiti. Divided by a bridge over the river, the border closes at certain times during the day so we have to time our crossing on Saturday to ensure we get through. This procedure involves our luggage being loaded on to a truck at 7am tomorrow and taken to the border to be individually inspected. Our big box of passports goes on ahead of us and we will then be inspected one by one on the bus, movement is not easy between the two countries, where little love is lost between the two sides. When the border gates are locked we see the Haitian people wading back from Dominican Republic through the river, where they wash clothes, and bathe as well. It is a sight I didn’t expect to see in a region so close to the ‘developed’ world. We drive back through Ouanaminthe and over fields to some ramshackle homes where we can distribute some of the gifts we have brought and I have managed to find some local gourde currency from our on-site phone top-up men, so we can leave a little help behind.

I haven’t mentioned the medical team so far, thankfully, I haven’t had to visit them and there hasn’t been an ambulance moment yet. The worst cases have been serious spider bites – two guys got bitten and had dramatic reaction. The danger about this site, over and above the insects is that it was land which had been used as the local latrine, and while earth has been moved and layers and layers of soil has been added, with all the new digging going on, we have to be more vigilant about cuts and bites. The advice we got about thick socks and boots all makes sense, though the head torch we were advised to buy luckily hasn’t been needed as the generator is not switched off at night time, though it has just exploded a few minutes ago and is causing a minor sensation outside. Tonight’s barbecue and Haven’s Got Talent is looking dubious until the back-up is sorted, the internet connection is down too ..... and with that, I am heading back to my painting team to finish off the last few walls and rehearse our performance for tonight, where there will be fierce competition from Ronan, Plumber in Chief... more soon

THOMAS GABRIEL'S BLOG -day five and day six

Thomas Gabriel Blog

Day Five

Today consisted of another early start with a concerted effort to bring the classroom and basketball court to a timely conclusion. I was reminded of those make-over TV shows where some part of a house is radically changed by a team in a very short period of time. I have always suspected that a swat team is available to come in and make sure that things are done in good time. No such luxury exists for us. Most of what has to be done is completed by sheer brute effort and Irish ingenuity – and we have both in plenty!! By lunch time (on a day that impossibly seemed even hotter than yesterday) the project was almost complete. There remains a lot of tidying up and cleaning tomorrow but our efforts allowed a number of the team to have lunch, shower and head off to Cap Haitien for a meal. En route we stopped off at an experimental renewable energy project called ‘Jatropha Pepinyte’ which is being lead by an energetic American woman and which has some Irish backing. Jatropha is a tree that is native to Haiti. Simply put (and it is a bit more complicated!), the nuts can be pressed to produce a bio-degradeable diesel oil. The husks can be turned into charcoal – a basic cooking fuel in Haiti and the residue of the nuts have the potential for very high levels of protein similar to soya. The hope is to have the facility running at a commercially viable level within four years. You have to be thankful for the commitment of some people – they work in such difficult environments and for very selfless reasons. I hope that Jatropha Pepinyte succeeds. It was another ray of sunshine in what could easily be seen as a dismal backdrop.

The drive into Cap Haitien was exactly what you might expect in a country that is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Lots of poverty, lots of poverty and then there was also a lot of poverty. Once in a while we would see from the window of our bus some incongruous house behind high walls and barbed wire – but they were very much the exceptions. Cows that looked half-starved wandered in fields, dogs wandered the streets – though as someone pointed out, we didn’t see any cats. I am guessing that the restaurant, which was really an enclosed courtyard, was one of the best in the town. The meal, which included ice cream(!!!) was delicious. I’m not sure what I had though I did stick mainly to the vegetarian and discovered a very spicy side dish that looked like coleslaw and tasted like pure chillies!! I confess to going back for seconds of rice and the side dish and hope my room mate sleeps heavily tonight.

One of the sideshows that we’ve had whilst we’ve been on site has been the spectacle of an electrical storm in the mountains every evening. Our dining area is an enormous marquee that is open on both the long sides (with the catering at one end and and a stage at the other). Those of us who sit to one side of the dining room would see the lightening over the mountains to the south east. No thunder, just lightening flashes. A bit like a scene from Close Encounters!

Over lunch today, we talked about injuries and ailments. I’m happy say that most of ours have been fairly minor. I have blisters and a fungal infection of my right foot which I hope, finally makes me a fun guy (funghi) to be with. The doctor told me that many of us have the same condition – brought on by the heat and humidity. We will be walking away from it soon and yet the locals remain.

After lunch I took the opportunity to check that my ESTA form for return to the US had been completed as I hope to travel back to New York with the team (rather than on a later flight). As I talked with Marguerite I noticed two of the bedrooms filled with things from soap to blankets and from colouring books to Wexford Jerseys. She confirmed that everything in those rooms had been carried in by the volunteers. I was again lost for words over the generosity of spirit and greatness of heart that I witnessed. That generosity of spirit continued. Over lunch yesterday Jerry said to Brian that the school toilets (which are holes in the ground within concrete buildings) ‘could’ be properly plumbed but that it might involve significant drilling. The cost? Several thousand dollars. Hugh made an announcement to the whole group that a voluntary option to donate would be opened for those who wished to donate. I’m not going to say the amount raised in less than 24 hours from within the team – I’ll leave that to PR. All I know is that on this Thursday night as I sit here aching, tired, footsore and in desparate need of a cup of tea – I feel bloody good to be a part of this group.

Oh – and by the way, I managed to carry a bucket of water the way the locals do, on my head. Not an easy feat, but as a result I did notice the woman selling the tortilla cakes to the children who formed an orderly queue to pick up their snacks from her. Left me wondering how she secured her prime location ‘pitch’!!

Thomas Gabriel day 6

To plagiarise the book of Genesis: by mid-afternoon on the sixth day, the team looked upon the work that it had done and saw that it was good. I think all of us felt a great sense of achievement that the project turned out so nicely. The painters had transformed the look of the classroom and basketball court. The team appointed two, or perhaps five willing gardening consultants from within the team, to advise on what features to make of the final boulders we needed to tidy away. Talk of a water feature was discarded given the lack of water and we all agreed to the suggestion that the boulders be used to create a verge along the lower bank of basketball court support mound – if pictures of it are available, you’ll see what we opted for. A number of us did privately suggest to the retired lawyer who had come up with the idea that he doesn’t try to launch a new career!

Our day on site pretty much ended with all of us wanting to have group photos taken. This we did and also had group photos taken with the children who had stayed to watch. Egged on by the group to ‘christen’ the basketball court, your intrepid blogger set out to score the first official ‘basket’. With another team member, we took on two Haitian school children of about 10 or 11 years old. Being in extreme danger of losing to them, we resorted to the team motto of ‘sheer brute force and ingenuity’ to ensure that we finally managed to score before almost collapsing in the heat!

Just before lunch, three of us volunteered to help out in the kitchen for thirty minutes. I arrived to learn that I was to prepare 750 potatoes for the barbeque evening. My thirty minutes went on for almost three hours and I returned to site long after the others and long after the roving helicopter had departed (it was there to do some filming).

Tonight, we have ‘Haven’s got Talent’ – a show, where each team is to entertain the assembled masses! I’ve been told by Trish, our team leader, that a few of the team are going to dress up and do some dancing. Now – extrovert, we all are, but dancers? I think this will be a case of back to the team motto – sheer brute force and a staggering amount of Irish ingenuity!!!!!

Tomorrow, after breakfast, we have a ceremony where each of five teams will ‘hand-over’ a house. Having seen the sorts of houses the families are moving from – I know that this will be a highly charged and emotional event. I’m moved to tears just thinking about it. Finally, the whole 260 of us will go to the school to hand over the new classroom and basketball court. Lunch follows and the long journey home commences. I leave the group on Sunday and will not return to Dublin until Tuesday.

I may have already mentioned that I’ve written this journal offline and I’m not clear about what arrangements will take place tomorrow night – so this could be my last entry. All week, I’ve struggled to avoid referencing individuals. I thought the ‘project’ was bigger than the people. However, I can’t not mention them – my only fear is that with my appalling memory for names I will miss one of them. I ask forgiveness if due to pressure of time I miss someone. It is completely unintentional – a product of my inability to recall names. I have to have this finished before the show starts.

Mike is the team leader of the capenters and he allocated a number of us to the ‘school project’. For doing that and for being a very capable leader, I thank him!

Trish is our project leader. A woman of warmth and infectious enthusiasm. John is her colleague from the school at which they work and he is a quiet-(ish) team member who just gets on with what has to be done. John from Longford has a staggering work ethic – none of us could find the Duracell batteries that must be keeping him going. The other Johns with us are also great fun – John Mc is always particularly friendly and welcoming to people as are his buddies Emmet & Nico. I enjoyed their humour and banter! We had two Ciarans one quieter than the other but neither so quiet as to be ‘shy and retiring’. Owen endured a great deal of pain to nail down the roof in blistering heat – another true grafter. Actually, as Brian said at dinner tonight, the whole team gave 100%. Brian is a man I could work for again quite happily. He put in a lot of work and also looked out for those who might struggle.

I thank Seamus and Finbar for their good humour and company on the many, many journies down to the well. Emma the journalist just didn’t know when to stop working and would throw herself into any manual task with vigour. Susan the accountant did not shy away from work and I saw Susie and Rosie trying their hands at bricklaying and plastering! Jerry, the butcher from Cork deserves great success in his business for the sheer energy and good humour he brought to the team. Patrick H is one of the quickest wits I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with (and he and Olive make a great pair!). John the Bandana is a foreman who really keeps the momentum going and Sean, the Garda was another team member who really delivered the goods. Mention should also be made of the headstrong Rhonda, physio Louise, Ruth H - another team leader, Paul the builder and of course UCD Paddy - the gentle giant. I'd also like to thank my room-mate, painter Ken from Dundalk.

All of them a great bunch – and even better, the fact that they won’t get to read this till after we’ve done some more ribbing! I know I’ve left out two people but pressure of time is causing me to blank L

I have a strong feeling that I will be back to Haiti again next year – I know that a few of the others feel the same way. We KNOW, we have made a small difference. We KNOW that what we have done will very significantly improve the lives of a few families – and for that, I think we all feel pretty good tonight. On their behalf, I’d like to thank all those who provided sponsorship.

And just in case this is my last entry, I’ll finish as I began this journal: this group WAS enthused, was “en Theos” this week. I saw it, I felt it, I experienced it and I know that through what we’ve done, the hand of God will touch the lives of many who are too poor to help themselves.

In the words of the late Dave Allen: “With that, good night – and may your God go with you”

John O'Connor Blog - foreman

George Hook has an amazing memory. I met him a few days ago and introduced myself, now when I see him he says, “John O’Connor from Kiseam, how are you”. Let’s see if he remembers me when I’m looking for tickets to go support Munster in the Heineken Cup Final next year.

I got two good pictures today. I actually caught Hugh and Declan working on site. I had to be quick to catch it mind.

Tues 10:15 – bedtime
I had a few beers tonight with my UN buddies camped outside my door. I enjoyed that. Deirdre Grant met me tonight, having read my blog and encouraged me to keep going. Now I think I’m suffering from writer’s block…. Or maybe it is the beer!
Goodnight all at home, please keep texting me

Wed 28th 4:30 am

Leslie Buckley came up trumps last night and delivered what I asked him for. 6 bottles of whiskey. I need them, not for myself, but as rewards for all the favours. I’ve received from people.

First bottle went to Marcel, the Haitian main contractor. He is just so obliging. He says he will come to Ireland some time to visit. I hope so. I’m sorry to hear that Leslie wasn’t feeling well last night. Exhaustion I think. He’s a nice man.
Thurs 29th Oct
I woke up this morning at 3:30 eager to get started. There is just so much to do. I really do love my job here. Though I do miss my wife and kids. I hope ye are doing what yer mommy tells ye to do. When people say to my wife Theresa, “How do you manage when he’s gone?” She jokingly replies, “It’s much easier when he’s gone, one less child to mind!” At least I think she’s joking.

Declan announced about the fundraising appeal for the school toilets last night and it was received very well. Within minutes about $6,000 had been pledged. These volunteers are just amazing.

We will raise well above the required amount and this is from people who have already burst a gut fundraising and working on this charity. It really was John Henry’s idea. He knew what he was doing when he took us to see them, we couldn’t possibly leave them in the condition they were in.

By the way, I found a tarantula in my room this morning. I think that’s a good luck omen. When I leave this site I hope that I can say I have made a whole bunch of new friends and not a single enemy. Life is short and we’re all here for the same cause.

Before I forgot I want to mention Maria – the Spanish Doctor – and Sarah – in charge of water. Both of whom are such nice and polite people, so obliging all the time.

It makes it easier that I have my ‘other family’ here – Mike Curran, Sean Horkan, Fifi O’Sullivan, Susan Doyle Kelly & Rosie Dawson. This is not our first overseas charity venture together and we look out for each other, so Theresa, Jack Luke, Adam & Kate, while I miss ye, I am not on my own.


People ask me on site what my bandana is about! John Henry, security, met me one day and the sweat was flowing down my face and into my eyes. He felt sorry for me and gave me the bandana.

It’s a great job. It’s breathable and absorbs the sweat. It’s also kind of intimidating looking. People are more in awe of me when I wear it! I left home (?) last night to go out, I forgot it and had to double back to put it on!

Thomas Gabriel Blog Day 4

As things have become more familiar, I have begun to register things that I had been vaguely aware of but which had not embedded themselves in my mind. There is a woman who sits on the hill between the classrooms and the well where we get the water for the concrete and the plaster. She has a baby with her and usually lights a fire on her arrival. Today I noticed that she cooks things that look like tortillas. These are then filled with vegetables.. I’m not sure if she is the equivalent of the ice cream van outside a school but the schoolchildren all pass her by at break time. When that first break is over she packs up her things and leaves. I’ll try to remamber to pay more attention tomorrow! The young children not at school were again around the well wanting to help load the buckets. It takes approximately 60 pumps of the handle to fill a bucket and we have been filling at least 80 buckets a day – having the children help from time to time in this heat is fun for them and a relief for us!I also noticed the ‘shacks’ across the road from our project. They look flimsy and very small. Today however, I also had an opportunity to visit some of the beneficiaries of the project.

I should mention in passing that a number of dignitaries visited the project today. Speeches took place and tours of the site were encouraged – but I will assume that all these things will be more appropriately recorded elsewhere. Back to the beneficiaries! These are families who live about 500 yards from the project in habitats set back from the road. All the volunteers are being given the chance to make these visits in small groups. The good news is that it allowed about 16 of us to finish early, get out of the sun and have a shower. The other good news is that it very forcibly brought home the value of what we are doing here. The first house we saw was an ‘upgraded’ existing home. This is a home where the residents want to stay where they are. I saw a wooden structure of two rooms and a veranda covered on one side with a low wall around the other two sides. This houses eight people. It’s erected on a concrete base. If I thought this house was bad, I had a bigger shock when we went to see a house from which a woman and her children will be moving to one of the Haven Homes. She lives in what I would describe as a mud hut with leaves for a roof. The floor was mud and the wooden upright slats were filled with dry mud. It did not look as though it would survive a heavy downpour. In these houses were also the very cheerful children who come to help us at the well each day. As we left, a group of about 7 children burst into spontaneous happy song and we all clapped along. I was moved to tears. I joined the dots and could see precisely what our efforts were going to help achieve. We may not be able to save the world or rid it of all it’s problems but we can try to do what we can – one house at a time, one step at a time. The point is – that rather than just talk, we have to ‘do something’.

After the emotional roller coaster that was the local housing, we went to an orphanage in Ouanaminthe. Down an alley off the main street we walked to an entrance covered with tarpaulins where another group of very cheerful children greeted us with songs and dancing. The orphanage houses 400 children and is run by a woman who oozes charisma. No parent could go into that place and not be moved. I don’t believe any person can be truly present in such a situation and not feel heartbroken. Whilst there was a lot of chat and banter on the way there, the bus was virtually silent on the return – each of us wrestling with our own thoughts and feelings.

So – with the back of the week now broken, it’s the race toward the finish line. The heat remains obstinately oppressive, the humidity is not helpful but the spirit of the teams is still high and unique lifelong memories continue to be created for each of the volunteers.

Deirdre Conroy Haven Blog Day 4 - 28.10.09

In the great white tented village where 300 hundred of us are fed and watered four times a day – all at the same time, the catering crew perform minor miracles with full Irish breakfasts and at least a choice of four dishes for dinner. Our Haitian co-workers seem to relish the bacon, egg, beans and sausage as much as our burly labourers. If we think it’s hot and sweaty out on site, the kitchen is even more gruelling in the heat. Ably patrolled by Sgt Alan McKenna on loan from the army aided by gregarious George Hook who doubles up as MC a lot of the time and the kitchen is given a splash of 4-star from John Brennan. We all started off with our own set of plastic bowl, plate, cup and cutlery, to be brought up every day and washed outside. By day 3 most of us are down to a paper cup and spoon. Way too many things to remember – I now realise why so many of my sons lunch boxes go astray. This trip may make me more understanding in many ways.....

In the evening when we think we will collapse from heat and lack of sleep, though I am managing to sleep through the cockerel now, or maybe the stock has depleted......it is in the big white tent that the table quiz, karaoke and general party pieces take place and, yes, the standard and content is diverse to say the least, but as I wouldn’t get up on stage in a month of Sundays, nor would my friend be persuaded to duet, I take my hat off to any who do. On Wednesday night our local workers were stunned in silence at the breadth of singing talent from their visitors – or maybe bewildered at our facility to sing everything from Elvis and sean nós, or maybe just thought we were all nuts.

I spent the morning painting at the back of the site alongside our UN patrol from Uruguay, who manfully watched over us making sure we didn’t miss a patch. Julio Iglesias is their local commander, I might add. This part of the site boundary overlooks tropical palms and we suddenly remember that we are in the Caribbean, other than the relentless sun beating down on our boot camp, there is little to remind one of the glamour and exoticism of Caribbean holiday life. If anybody came out here thinking it was a mini-break with some good works thrown in they will have been instantly disabused of the idea. Our outside loo broke yesterday, a truck ran over the pipe, even though my room-mate is (all names have been changed) Sheba, queen of the plumbers, it’s taking two days to fix, trenches have to be hand dug as we don’t have a mini-digger. But such is the democracy on this site, it’s pick a loo, any loo.

We have co-founder Carmel Buckley on our painting team, who is here along with her daughter, son and nephew. There are many family groups of father and daughter or son, husband and wife and various in-laws. All of whom will pack up – a lot more lightly – and fly straight back to Dublin on Sunday after 7 days of this marathon build. My room-mate and I hope to travel more lightly as well, although one huge mistake we made coming out sits taunting us every time we get back to our room, not one, but two copies of the biggest novel published recently, Wolf Hall, the Booker prize winner. We thought we’d be smart and read ahead for our book club (Double Dee Book Club has a facebook page). This book is not just a door stop it’s a door step and may well serve as a foundation stone out here.

We hear we are on target as of yesterday which is very motivating. As work gets finished in other areas, we have labourers from other teams joining the painters, the spirit of help and goodwill is endless. At our press conference yesterday, local and national Haitian politicians and NGO’s joined in embracing Haven’s initiative and it is not only the Irish who are working with this community, Jean Maurice from Port au Prince, a mango plantation owner, has donated hundreds of mango trees to create a sustainable income-generating business here. The Haitian speakers certainly make us feel welcome and we are reminded that the manner in which Lesley Buckley has handled the State structure in such a short time is all part of this success story. The plan is still to complete 200 before Christmas and double this for next year.

Deirdre Conroy Haven Blog Working Day 3 (28.10.09)

Really getting the hang of this deprivation now. No wardrobe crises to speak of, one Haven Painter t-shirt per day, site boots and shorts, life couldn’t be simpler and energy levels are stabilising. A chair has been appropriated from our mess tent and now we can take little ‘sitting in front of the fan’ breaks when it all gets too hot.

It’s Tuesday morning and after three hours on site I take a walk down to Mr Wilson’s school (for it is he who spawned this social housing idea with Leslie Buckley) to see the children at their 10 O’Clock break. Children of all ages in their formal and pristine uniform are out in the shade of the trees, performing their ‘drill’ which is one of their characteristic dance routines. My friend and I have decided they must have a few extra vertebrae as the girls would put Beyonce in the shade with their cool moves. The volunteers down in this part of the site are quite literally doing Trojan work; girls who haven’t lifted anything heavier than an emery board are mixing cement and hauling blocks in stifling heat.

The children love being photographed and seeing their picture on the screen, and again I am struck by their beauty and poise. I hadn’t realised quite how distant Creole was from standard French and it is with limited vocabulary that we try to communicate. As if one needed reminding, it is education that frees us and empowers us, and by extending this school and hopefully extending their education programme, it will give these children more hope and options for their future. Haven Partnership is also building a playground and basketball court here and all is expected to be finished by Friday, I think well done to these volunteers as I head back to my paintbrush and roller and a nice shady wall. On the way I notice the roofs have been fixed to a whole swathe of houses that were at foundation level on Monday, the masonry teams and those jolly plumbers and electricians are relentless and determined – to exceed their target and get some thirst quenching done in the late afternoon.

How the catering team rock up with their culinary creations every day is a minor miracle in this setting – I’m looking forward to my first dinner on site later in the day. And I will know more about the kitchen on Thursday when I’m due to do the dinner shift.

But before all that, a group of us is taken to see some of the houses that Haven have repaired for local people, and I am particularly interested in seeing these as it’s part of my work in building conservation in Ireland – the value of conserving vernacular building types and use of indigenous materials can’t be overlooked and I hope that these building methods can be sustained alongside the sturdier block built houses that we are providing.

The scale of the houses defies logic. Families of seven are sheltered in a two-room mud and wattle construction. Life is mainly lived outdoors though, resting in the shade, minding their children in the shade, cooking in the shade, everything is dictated by the climate. The house is for sleeping, but it is still undoubtedly restricted and lacking in any sanitation. The Haven houses will bring more than robust shelter to these people.

We move on into the local town to visit an unusual orphanage, a term that always evokes visions of misery and sadness. This is not a building but a temporary shelter and it is run by a very dignified and caring widow and mother of five children, Mauviette Toussaint. Here she cares for up to 400 orphans, spending every day finding food and temporary shelter for them. Once again, the children are eager to put on a dance display and love having their photograph taken. We can question the appropriateness of a group of grubby construction workers coming to view this spectacle, we certainly look incongruous and not a little awkward against the backdrop of the eager and inquisitive children, but there is no doubt in their faces that we are welcome and that our visit brings some hope, and some hope is better than none. Equally, I have no doubt that our visit and those that will be made by others from our site, will result in an appreciable change for this orphanage.

While we have all brought bundles of clothes and gifts on the plane, they will be distributed by a local community liaison, Farah, to ensure that there is fair dispersal. Our gifts will not be going to the beneficiaries of the houses; our visit has to benefit as many local people as possible. Though one plasterer has told me that his hawk and trowel is highly admired by his Haitian co-plasterer and they have been showing each other traditional plastering methods. He is looking forward to leaving it to him in an age old system of dispersing craft and skill across borders, the little organic exchanges here will be among the best things we leave behind.

Dinner was well worth the wait, more about that later......

Ends