While everything that HBHH accomplishes in Haiti brings a sense of joy to the volunteers, few efforts can match the thrill that comes with the completion of a new school. Unlike the U.S., in Haiti new schools are never replacements for old and tired existing schools - because in Haiti an existing school is never retired. Instead, new schools either bring classrooms to village children for the first time - replacing daily walks that can be as long as two hours round trip - or the new schools replace mud-walled huts that in some cases have been built by the students themselves!
Construction in the mountain villages of Haiti almost never involves machinery or power tools. Machinery would be too expensive to buy or rent and there is no outlet to plug power tools into! So, the foundations for these schools are dug by hand.
All school construction is based on formal plans drawn by licensed architects and engineers and construction techniques are similar to that in the U.S. Due to termites and expense of lumber, 95% of all new construction in Haiti is done with cement blocks.
Because so much construction is done by hand, Haitian construction companies have skilled artisians capable of finishing out the cement block walls with a beautiful stucco texture.
This first reception in the our newly built Christ the King school with Bishop Chibly, the teachers and the children was an exciting and unforgettable moment.
This new school has eight classrooms, a large storage room and separate living quarters for the men and women teachers. Because the villages are so remote, teachers must either live at the school or find a suitable house in the village itself.
Note that the walls between the classrooms are wood and can be removed. This makes it possible for the school to open up into large rooms and become a church or community center at nights and on weekends.
Beginning in 2009, HBHH teamed with CHF International and others to replace an old school that was falling apart in Trou du Nord. The new St. Dominic Savio school, pictured below, can educate up to 1,200 students. This school has elementary, middle, and high school classes. High school education is very rare in Haiti, making this an important project in Haiti. Construction was completed in late 2010 and an opening ceremony was held in January 2011.
