History of the construction: an act of faith, an international collaboration!

It is an admirable international collaboration that makes the construction of the future Village Notre Dame de Lourdes possible... friends of the 96 children of Maud Laurent are in Canada, France, Germany, the US and of course also in Haiti.

While Anne-Marie Bryson from Canada was working hard to find out how to start the construction, the Sisters Missionaries of Christ King in Haiti were introducing Ray and Catherine to Maud and 3 days later work began.  It is thanks to the faith of the Filles de Jesus of Montreal,  Anjou Haiti in France but also in particular a young German Marcel Koetter, working for Hoffnungszeichen, who witnessed the reconstruction efforts done by Ray as he was training young unemployed Haitians struggling to find a future during post-earthquake Haiti , that construction was able to begin. Ray Arana, general contractor in the USA had left his family business in the care of his 27 year old twin sons to come help in Haiti as early as February 2010 and among other things, rebuilt the condemned Jesuit Novitiate and neighboring convent of the Sisters Missionaries of Christ the King.  He was also interested in teaching these young men construction skills and taught them basic English during 6 am classes.  Before leaving the US for roughly a year and a half (he had thought he was leaving for three weeks), Ray founded a non-profit called Relief Team One www.reliefteamone.org with the mission of teaching skills while helping reconstruction.  When I met him in June 2010, he told me: “by myself I can accomplish something but if we are several we can do so much more" and so we teamed up on various projects of which the construction of the Village is the most important.

When Mario Landreville ( Mario's story is on the French Canadian blog) made his first donation of a cement mixer, construction moved faster, but work is still all hand done by the team of young people whose talents are being revealed as the progression of the construction continues.  Last summer at the busiest, 48 men were employed at the site, including some of the young men from the Foyer who were learning about construction.  The energy, tenacity, kindness and good mood of everyone warmed the heart.  

Among the friends in Haiti that have helped so much, there is Patrick Joly, a trusted friend of Maud's without whom all the material purchases wouldn't have taken place: tireless driver, quick to laugh and always on the look out to help others, he has the constancy and honesty essential to his responsibilities.

March 15, 2011

Site of future construction, March 2011

Ray installs water pump

Leaving work after a long day

Semi-finished generator room,  May 2011

Catherine reviewing English assignments

Proud crew in front of first steel post 

Catherine in her office, June 2011

Setting floor of main building October 2011

Teaching measurements,  March 2011

Witny and Patrice working on cement

Bakery being built

Ray teaching plumbing

Construction in English class, 6 am

Gannon University student volunteer

Jean-Baptiste & Fenel finishing the roof

Translating water filter instructions

Side view of main building with new windows May 2012

Windows on  thanks to Terre des Montagnes

Marcel & Kervin, Spring 2011

Marcel, Ray and Mario, spring 2011

Truly an international collaboration, with Gilles Hudicourt in Canada, who activated the online presence of the Foyer, initiating monthly donations and with the generosity in deeds or funding of the Quebecois mentioned on the blog of the Foyer ( among whom the Filles de Jesus of Montreal and the Fondation le Pont) and of course the tireless Mario Landreville ( who among other things had the electricity installed and repaired the plumbing at the Foyer and recently donated a large generator). He is also currently actively fundraising to send a whole container full of bakery equipment to Haiti which is almost ready to go. It is the most important grant coming from the Germans of Hoffnungzeichen that really enabled the construction to grow and after that  also the support from the French of Grandir en Haiti, Anjou Haiti, and lately Terre des Montagnes ( they have just pledged additional support for the dormitory construction: many thanks). In the US, help comes from Food for the Poor, For One Another Foundation, Holy Trinity Church, School Sisters of Notre Dame, International Samaritan with Gannon University and Loyola University Maryland (gave a computer lab) that allowed me a personal leave to volunteer in Haiti for six months.  There are also all those individuals who support in multiple ways from afar or near Relief Team One's effort for  Maud and her children with monetary contributions or volunteer work.

All this wouldn't be possible without the leadership of Maud Laurent, her energy, intelligence, kindness, big heart, perseverance and her abilities to manage all,  as she tirelessly watches over the well being of the 96 children and the accompanying staff of the Foyer NDL.

What now?  We can't stop: if a lot has been accomplished (read the blogs of the Foyer NDL and of Relief Team One and see the pictures) a lot remains to be done to establish a sustainable infrastructure with a new dormitory in the Village NDL.

Bellegarde just finished installing shower heads, march 2012

Volunteer touching up professional centre

Bathroom block

Waiting for doors and windows, main building

Catherine Savell

Ice: a success story!

When I saw “Ice” for the first time, he was fixing Sister B's old fashioned sewing machine, a roughly twenty year old treasure that was one once again not functioning. She told me at the time that he could probably also fix my portable fan... and he did. The crew nicknamed him Ice because he took the trouble of bringing a block of ice every morning for the rest of the men, and they all got to chip some of it for their drinks.

Now Ice, Louis Jackson  is one of our top supervisor on the construction of Village Notre Dame de Lourdes; he has gotten to that position by unfailingly attending classes, learning everything he could from Ray, asking questions, attempting new skills and learning English any chance he had. To provide for his young wife and their new baby he also works as a tailor. He hemmed my pants, made shirts for Ray  AND he built his own house from the earthquake rubble and fixed the roof of his neighbor.  Before the earthquake, he had a job as a telecommunication technician installing telephone lines.

This is the hope of Haiti... that energy..persistence..resourcefulness and faith in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

 

He called me recently explaining how difficult it is to earn enough for his family to live on when we are not there to give him a job. RT1 would like to help ICE get visibility and ..more business or job. If you order a shirt from him we will make sure to facilitate shipping.  If you can hire him, please call him 011 509 37 03 51 28 or contact him at jacksonlouis28@yahoo.fr

Vegetable garden started!

What a sight!  All these children working together to create a beautiful vegetable garden.  About 30 children from the Foyer Notre Dame de Lourdes under the guidance of two agents from Hunger Relief International planted rows of cabbages, beans, beets, mustard, spinach and gombo on the site of the Village under construction.  What was just talk a little while ago is becoming reality.  Maud Laurent facilitated the project:  the young under her care are learning to grow  what will provide them with food later this year. 

Spring break volunteering in Haiti

What a great group of students and workers Gannon University blessed us with during their Spring break!  Thanks to International Samaritan, and Andrew,  seven students,  their  campus Director for Social Justice, Arlene M. and the President of Gannon University Dr. K. Taylor did an amazing amount of work. Keeping up with the Haitian crew in the heat, they painted the long professional building, the bathroom block and  reinforced the concrete roof in the back of the main building. Great job!  

Ray and the crew were also able to hook up the water cistern to the plumbing so that we now have showers ! A big treat .    

Special thanks also for the efforts to fundraise and bring medical supplies, four sewing machines and four computers for the mini-lab at the Foyer.  You are a wonderful group of caring individuals and Relief Team One warmly thanks you for your support of our project.  The children are one step closer to living in a better environment thanks to your help. 

Pastry & Laptops + finished roof.

How great to witness the success of the children of the Foyer NDL selling all their cookies !  Thanks to Michelle’s teaching and providing the set up and follow up by Amy, Vic and Odile and most specially France, the coop of the Patisserie NDL: une cooperative des Jeunes du Foyer Notre Dame de Lourdes is in existence! What was just a dream when Michelle and I talked about it in August has become a reality. GREAT JOB Michelle, the thoughts, organization, success at fundraising, and your passing on your skills are paying off. RT1 is very very proud of your accomplishment and thanks you for trusting us to facilitate your involvement.

Michelle teaching cake decoratingE

Elphania, Mirlaine and Rosena practice

Mano learns how to make frosting

Rosena and Dieudonne practice

Et voila!

First sale: sold out in 10 minutes

Equally exciting was to see all the children mesmerized by the computer screens of the three laptops and printer given by Louise F., John H., Jason M and David O. of Loyola University Maryland. A big thank you to the IT team and to David O, RT1 wants to express heartfelt gratitude for the generous spirit, effort to put all the equipment together, bringing it down and setting up what is now a functioning micro-lab at the Foyer NDL. Congratulations.  David became a favorite of the boys, also for his domino playing skills J

Learning how to type

David teaching basics

Practicing on new laptops

Another accomplishment of the past two weeks is the tin roof over the multipurpose room in the main building and the plumbing progress at the construction site. The young men who started learning construction less than a year ago show how much they know!

Jean-Baptiste and Fenel installing roof over multipurpose room

The roof is done, tin in the front and cement in the back over bakery, kitchen and laundry room. Now we need  doors and windows!!!

And then there are the 5 new “cabris” at the convent of the Sister in Tabarre. Their farm is prospering and the guest house sees a lot of visitors.

“Free the slaves” contribution of craft items are on their way to Jérémie. The children of the Centre Saint Jean Bosco ( that is getting an addition to accommodate the craft center) will discover their new tools when they come back from vacation this week.

To all those who have contributed to this continuing venture, many many thanks.

It is heartwarming and wonderful to witness all these steps towards positive change.