Three months have passed since the devastating earthquake of Jan. 12, 2010. Haitians are slowly recovering from the traumatic experience and although things are not back to normal, new routines are being established. We are happy to report that all classes have begun again this week. Teachers are gathering their students under a large tent that is also used as church. We started the 2008 school year with 350 students, then in September of 2009, when our brand new school was completed, we jumped in enrolment to a little over 400, and we now have 442 children attending classes from Preschool 1 through to Grade 6. Approximately 90% of schools in Port-au-Prince and Grande Goave were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake, and school has not re-started for most of them. Although our school building is not yet serviceable, we are taking in as many new children as we can. Please check out pictures in Rebecca's blog of the temporary school and the children playing in the playground. (www.rebeccalarkin.blogspot.com)
After hundreds of man-hours and buckets of sweat, the final cement pieces of the school roof were knocked down yesterday, which means it is now safe to begin the construction of our new kitchen/dining room/food depot. The blue prints and floor plans have been finalized and the foundation work will begin in the next week.
Tiled washrooms complete with two shower stalls, 2 toilets and sinks have just been built directly behind the Children's Home to accommodate the community of people living on our compound in tents. Another separate washroom facility similar to the first, is under construction at the front of the Children's Home, to be used by the orphans. Competitions have begun to win the right to the first shower!
The fourth container of relief supplies was filled today at the Abbotsford warehouse - filled to capacity with a variety of food and a few construction supplies. It will leave tomorrow and arrive in Port-au-Prince in 34 days. Vineyard church plans to take a mision team to Haiti to meet the container when it arrrives and help coordinate the distribution of the food. By working with Pastor Luc's network of colleagues, the food gets through to some of the more remote, poorest areas in Haiti. We have enough food left in our warehouse to fill at least three more containers.
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