Back in session

Attendance was at 100% today. The children were happy to return to school after two weeks of violence and uncertainty.

Railings

Thanks to a gift from one of our faithful donors we were able to install railings for the school's second floor overlooking the courtyard.

Controversy

Raymond, our Canadian volunteer, started painting the second floor of the elementary school the blue that you see in the above photo. Not being Haitian, he failed to see that this particular shade of blue with white trim is the traditional color of police stations throughout Haiti. I didn't take the jokes too seriously but my staff insisted that the color be changed. So Raymond began painting the first floor a charcoal gray hoping that the totality would be acceptable. The most positive response so far has been raised eyebrows. Just another reminder that we are guests here in Haiti and that we must be sensitive to the culture.

Fancy that !

This is the lavatory (a.k.a. outhouse) for the elementary school-- looking good with a fresh coat of paint thanks to Ray's crew.

Elementary School

The front of the elementary school is finally getting some well-deserved attention. Trying to match the "clostras" is a real challenge. Clostras are the decorative blocks we use for ventilation and security (and decoration, of course).

Dawn's early light

Ray and his team have just finished putting primer on the elementary school. Gonna look real snazzy when done. Photo was taken a bit too early this morning for my automatic, digital camera.