Day 3 – February 25, 2011
Working in Petit-Goave
Today is Friday and after a good breakfast we walked back to the work site and were quickly assigned to several tasks that involved moving building stones, bricks and other earthquake debris out of the building. Our project is at Pastor Maude’s complex
The Arkansas UMVIM team helped by sifting limestone rock through wire mesh which was used for mixing mortar that went on the building and helping to cut metal pieces with a chop saw for reconstructing windows.
Sifting Limestone for Making Mortar
Some of the UMVIM Team from Arkansas; Bubba and Mike
Haitian metal workers also spot welded metal into decorate covers for the windows. The major metal work project was a beautiful door that I understood was going on the new church being built in Fond-Doux. I had no idea that metal fabrication down here was such an important skill.
Seeing this project and how the people here get by with so little, I can’t help but admire them and how resourceful they are with having so little to work with. They try and make the most of what they have and much of the useable materials get recycled. It makes me think why I need all the things I do when they complete essentially the same tasks with a fraction of the supplies and resources. Like Steve commented, “when you don’t have a Home Depot or Lowes down the street, projects become a major challenge.”
Our primary task was to clean up the inside of the church activity building while the Haitians worked on the mortar and plaster. I think the goal is to rebuild the exterior and interior walls and replace the windows and doors and then paint everything. This was physical labor and the conditions were hot and dusty but everyone in our group was right there lending a hand and helping each other as best they could. Everyone was smiling and happy despite how hot and dusty the conditions were. While we worked, 2 UMCOR administrators visited our site to check on our progress at Pastor Maud’s as well as other sites in the Petit-Goave region. Nancy, Steve, Mary Margaret and Ricardo discussed with them some of our concerns regarding funding, organization and project understanding. Only a few children came to the work site today. I think there will be more as they find out that we are here. No matter where we go, it seems like we attract a lot of attention. Almost like you are a movie star back home.
Here are a few pictures of our first day working at Petit-Goave.
Plastering the Walls with Mortar
Ricardo Speaks with UMCOR Representatives
- Bruce Stirling
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