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
Where are the pix I was promised????!!!!
ReplyDeleteGod bless the work!
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