Final Day – Dedication photos with the Carters and Homeowners

Our House with the Homeowners and the Carters

Habitat.org story about the week

Carters dedicate 100 homes with joyous Haitian families

The math is both simple and amazing: five days, 500 volunteers and staff, 100 home dedications. On Friday, brand new Haitian homeowners beamed, hugged and said goodbye to the volunteers who made the 28th Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project a reality.

On Friday afternoon, the Carters visited all the homeowners, giving each family a Haitian Bible they both had signed. Afterward, each home had its own official dedication, filled with speeches, hugs, tears, songs and photos.

At Volsy Mariyolene’s new home, she told her crew through a translator, “I love you all. It’s a small world.”

“I’m very grateful you have shared your strength with us,” said volunteer Rodney Goodman of Bowling Green, Kentucky, his voice breaking with emotion.

Volunteer John Scott of Montclair, New Jersey, wiped away tears. “I always say if you don’t cry at a Habitat dedication, there’s something wrong with you,” he said.

Because of the project’s ambitious goal, some homes still need minor final touches, and Habitat will hire Haitian contractors to complete the work. They will also dig a latrine for every house, and dig 26 wells for the homeowners to share. The families will start moving into their new homes the day after Christmas.

Earlier Friday, the Santo families took to the streets in a huge parade, clapping and singing exuberant hymns. They wove through the work site and stopped to serenade President and Mrs. Carter, singing a Creole version of “How Great Thou Art.” President Carter asked the assembled homeowners if they were satisfied with their houses so far. “Oui!” they shouted.

At 11 a.m., the clamorous build site fell silent to honor Veterans Day and Remembrance Day. American and Canadian flags were raised in a central lot, and volunteers gathered for a minute of silence, and a reading of the poem “In Flanders Field” over the loudspeaker. Then they sang “O Canada!” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” softly. President Carter, like many of the volunteers, held his hard hat over his heart.

“It’s an honor to build on the Carter Work Project on Veteran’s Day,” said volunteer Willie Wilkerson of College Park, Georgia. “I served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967, and then I came back and taught high school for 40 years. I used to tell my students I served my country for peace and glory in a foreign land by carrying a weapon. Then I served my country for peace and glory in a foreign land without carrying a weapon.”

The Carter Work Project is already scheduled to return to Haiti in 2012. The reason for the back-to-back builds is simple, according to President Carter. “Haiti is in the worst need that we’ve ever seen anywhere in the world,” he said in a brief interview on the build site Thursday.

Amid all the celebrations on the build site Friday, plans are already under way to continue the work that has begun here.

“This is 100 families,” said Doug Taylor, a Habitat Haiti staffer. “But there are thousands of others in this town alone that need better housing. This should only be a start.”

Haitian Handiwork

Here are pics of some of the items that were created by Haitians. They have very colorful artwork.

Haitian Bus

Woman with Baby

Carvings

Wooden Mask

Metal Bowl made from Oil Drum

Painting representing Haitian Village

Haiti Day #5

The final day has arrived and we celebrate at 11 in remembrance of our Veterans. In the US we celebrate Veterans and in Canada it is Remembrance Day. We had a special ceremony with the US and Canadian flags complete with red poppies. Then we had a moment of silence at 11:11. The Irish and Haitians flags then joined in the celebration. An Irish group called The Haven cooked for us all week and came a week earlier to set up camp and build 50 homes.
Now we have 150 homes complete in the development. At 3 pm we dedicated the homes to the families and took photos with President and Rosalyn Carter. We held a dedication ceremony for our two families: Mika and Arlene who both lost their homes in the earthquake. They are currently living in the tent field across the road and were so happy.
Well have a slide show tonight and then up at 3 am to catch our flights home. Will give more of a recap tomorrow.

Haiti Day #4

Today we had a blessed day on the job site. We finished roofs, siding calking and one porch. Tomorrow we’ll do interior walls and painting and have the dedication ceremonies at 3 pm. This week has been so amazing to see an entire community come together. Habitat will continue its work here building latrines for each home, wells and then next year more homes to complete the community of 500 in Santo. What a blessing for these families to move from tents into an actual home that can grow with their family. Even neater is the fact that they can expand their homes with the skills they learned this week working alongside us. We have be blessed as well as they teach us their language and cultures. What a great way to share.

Haiti Day #3

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood with Flat Stanley

Former President Carter and Garth in dining hall

CEO of Habitat, Jonathan Reckford

Rosalynn Carter

Sofia made a Flat Stanley to travel the world. He got to come to Haiti with us.

Today we finished roofs and almost finished siding both homes. Last night Garth and Trisha performed a little fireside entertainment for us. The work is hard, but very rewarding. There are some really neat vendors in our camp in the evenings. They have amazingly colorful artwork, carvings and handmade jewelry. Our group eats dinner last tonight…boy do we really earn our food, I’m starving. We met a sweet little boy named Barry, he’s three and is the child for one of the homeowners to be.

Day #2 Haiti

Garth Brooks visiting with President Martelli

Our houses

Today we had a special guest visitor, President Martelli. He thanked us for all that we are doing for the Haitian people. He promised that his country would continue to help the people in the rebuilding process.
We finished hurricane clips on both houses, starting the Hardie siding. Tomorrow, we will put on the tin roofs. It’s been hot, but we’re staying hydrated. Tonight I hear Garth Brooks will sing for us after dinner. He’s really sunburned, but Trisha is staying under her hat. The Carters house is going well.
Our families are hanging in there with us and are very excited.

Day 1 Haiti job site House #214 & #215

Tents where people live in Port au Prince

Trash and debris in the streets

More Tents

Beginning to rebuild

My tent #68

The Rotary donated tents throught the Shelter box program. They are seen throughout the country. We stayed in them too and I can’t imagine living in one.

Our restrooms that the advance team built, complete with flushing toilets and cold showers.

The water for the camp showers and bathrooms.

Getting into Leogane and Haiti was interesting. The poverty is amazing and the aftermath of the earthquake is indescribable. So many people are still living in tents, with rubble and contaminated water just next to their tents. Children are bathing in the streets and the food markets are just next to the waterways filled with garbage. Although it seems hopeless, the Haitians are very resilient and ho ful for a better future. Our homeowner was Mika and she was teaching us lots of Creole French words. Hammer is “Frappe” Today we finished the walls and trusses on two homes. Our team is great and hardworkers. We have several from the Denver affiliate and others from NY, and the east coast. The children are so happy and give us thumbs up. We have ten buses full and every morning we are escorted by an ambulance and police and the secret service. The special guests here are Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Former President Carter and his wife Rosalynn. Yes, Sofia, I got a picture with all of them and your Flat Stanley will hopefully send pictures later this week if I can get them downloaded. Very limited access here.
The homes are 14 x 14 and 200 sq.ft. They are just a one room home, but it is better than most of the population here have.
Will give you another update tomorrow.
Its quite hot here, cold showers and the tents are OK, we have fans and mosquito nets, but the heat is still bearing on the job site.

Talk to you again tomorrow.

Waiting for the bus

Its 6:30 a.m. and we are awaiting the bus to the airport along with about 200 other people. Jim was on the 6:00 a.m. Flight. Luckily, we weren’t. We enjoyed a nice hot breakfast, hot showers and great company.