Construction

The construction of the storage for the kitchen at the HATS school is finished! The ladies will cook in the outside area so that the smoke does not accumulate inside the building and so that it's not too hot. The small gate will keep the children out of the cooking area and the hot dishes but still allow the ladies to pass easily with the food etc.

The larger area in behind where I am standing is for storage of the rice and soybean mix that is cooked for the children each day (a complete meal with added vitamins, minerals etc) and for the cooking pots, metal plates and spoons for the children, and the cooking pots etc.

Thank you, thank you to everyone who contributed to see this idea become a reality!

The construction of two additional classrooms and an office at the school is well underway. Any additional funds that came in for the storage area that were not needed are being directed towards the school construction that still requires more funds. The construction of the foundation took more rocks and cement that budgeted for because of all the water that they discovered when they dug down. The foundation is finished now and ready for the work team who comes in January to help the Haitian workers build the walls and put on the roof.

The laying of the cement floor of the foundation was really fascinating to watch. The men alternated carrying heavy buckets of cement, small rocks, sand and water which they added to the small cement mixer.

The cement mixer put the ingredients together and dumped it into the wheelbarrows that other men were standing waiting with.

The wheelbarrow men then pushed their VERY heavy loads across the wooden planks laid on the metal grillwork and dumped it where directed.

The two men in charge of levelling and smoothing the cement used a wooden plank to smooth the cement and a piece of string laid across the length of the floor to keep it even.

Everyone knew their job and worked together as a team and it got done. The finished foundation is below.