Developing community assets for the long haul.
Almost every structure and resource of St. Francis Parish serves multiple functions. Water for people, gardens and animals. Kitchens to prepare school lunches and church celebrations. Classrooms to educate children and later, host a mobile clinic. All infrastructure is designed with multi-tasking in mind.
Empowering Communities
Infrastructure is a visible expression of the value of the people who use it. Individual buildings and schools house important foundations of community life. Well-built structures designed by local engineers reflect the culture of Haiti and signify hope through progress. Projects are dreamed, designed, and built by the highly capable local workforce and funded by US partners. The construction jobs provide income for families and local solutions to local problems. Quality buildings serve the community for decades; someday, old men will walk by and say “I built that”.
Serving Generations
The Partnership invests in the new construction and maintenance of many buildings throughout eleven communities. Older buildings stand the test of time but need renovation and repairs. Building standards changed after the 2010 earthquake. As long-term partners, we move through projects gradually, upgrading from an outdoor to an indoor school kitchen in one community while building a new teacher dorm in another and renovating an existing room in a clinic building in another.
Water and Sanitation
Water is identified as the number one issue for communities on La Gonâve. We work with our partners to build and maintain water catchment systems. The core of a water system is a large cistern to store water, whether it is obtained from a well or a roof. Every building has a potential role in water catchment- roofing surface areas funnel to gutters that funnel to a cistern with solar or hand pumps. Most areas are inaccessible to well drilling equipment or ruled out due to water quality or depth required. Drought worsens the competition for water between humans and agriculture/livestock. Most homes and all schools have water buckets with chlorine sachets to create potable water.
Sanitation- Through use of toilets or latrines, waste in school campuses is managed through basic septic systems. Some have actual underground concrete tanks and others are hand dug pits with ventilation.
Energy
Vehicles
The Parish maintains a small fleet of 2 pickup trucks, a Toyota Landcruiser, a dump truck and multiple motorcycles for staff to use in support of mobile clinics, school lunch and agriculture programs, etc. Some can be maintained by mechanics on the island, others may require a skilled technician from the mainland.
