Question

How old is Lineve?

Chabon

Chabon (Creole for charcoal) Project is coming along.  The top part is a working surface that is slightly angled so the run off water goes back into the lower tanks.  The bottom hole will contain two tanks or wet areas that will allow us to turn paper, cardboard, wood chips... into mulch.  The mulch is then squeezed so most of the water returns to the tanks.  It will then be placed in forms and we'll use hydraulic jacks to remove the rest of the water.  The raw material now has to spend a day or two in the sun and-- VOILA -- chabon.

Finally home

1. Electrical work needed to be done on the new bus.

2. The starter had to be rebuilt.

3. The road to our campus at Castel-Pere was terrible.

The new bus finally arrived here at Castel-Pere this morning.  Peter will be looking at the automatic front doors tomorrow as they don't open and shut all the way.  After that you can all join me in singing Willie Nelson's hit song "On the road again"!

Thanks again to the Rotary Clubs of Greensboro, NC.

Recycling- Alternative charcoal

Andre Dallaire, the bearded gentleman above, is from Quebec.  He's with us to train some of our graduates in making charcoal from paper, cardboard, trash, wood chips and sawdust.

Andre has been involved with Haiti over forty years and has worked full-time these last twelve years fighting against the deforestation of Haiti.  Benefits: a cleaner campus, savings (as we'll be buying less and less wood charcoal), job creation and a clean conscience as we won't be contributors to the real problem of deforestation of the mountainsides. 

Three day seminar

Visited with the representatives of the coastal communities during their three day workshop on the prevention of STD, sexually transmitted diseases, sponsored by USAID and Cross International.  These folks will then go on and transmit what they have learned to people in their communities.

Djerline Clerge Constant is leading the seminar (she's the one standing in the center).  Remember the old saying: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?  Well, we are doing as much prevention as we can cause the stakes are so high.

Scouts

Our scout troop was responsible for the liturgy this morning, the Fifth Sunday of Lent.  They were the choir, the lectors, the altar servers and did a great job.  Above is a photo of the scout choir wearing their new shirts, a gift from Doug Dittrick who is a trustee for the Boy Scouts of America.

Jean Raymond Update

Thank you for the emails, messages, and interest you have shared regarding Jean Raymond. More than one of you have mentioned the organization Smile Train, and we have successfully made contact with them. 

After a 45 minute operation free of charge, Jean Raymond will have a mouth he can feel proud of. 

Smile Train will be in Fermathe (which is 45 minutes outside of PaP) in June. Many of you have asked how you can help sponsor Jean Raymond's medical expenses. Since Smile Train gifts the operation, there is no need to sponsor medical expenses, but we do need sponsors for Jean Raymond and his mother's travel expenses. 

To sponsor Jean Raymond and his Mother will cost roughly $100 US

round trip. This includes: safe transportation, meals, and lodging for the night. 

If you would like to sponsor Jean Raymond and his Mother's travel costs, please let us know. 

If we receive more than one sponsor, we can find other children like Jean Raymond to receive the same services.