Shoes for Sassier
Once again this year, we are collecting gently-used shoes, sandals, sports shoes, etc. for the people of St Jean Baptiste Parish in Sassier, Haiti. In Sassier, many of their parishioners walk up and down the mountains with no shoes or ones that are badly worn. Children come to school barefoot and many people walk more than 2 hours to the nearest market in nothing more than flip-flops, if they have shoes at all.
The nurses in the parish’s medical clinic frequently treat infected foot wounds. All kinds of shoes are welcomed, except winter boots–it doesn’t get cold or snow in Sassier. Please drop off your shoes in the SHOES for SASSIER containers in the Gathering Space at Sacred Heart Parish Church or in the Sacred Heart School lobby from February 25 to April 1.
Read MoreSassier School Construction Update – February 14, 2012
All the windows and doors are now installed on the first floor of the new building in Sassier. The three pre-school classes moved into the classrooms on that floor last week. These will not be permanent classrooms for them, but it will allow them to be on the same campus as everyone else, not 1/2 kilometer away. Also, in the temporary pre-school location, the roof leaked when it rained heavily. No leaks in the new school. See pictures below!
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- Here’s what the new windows look like.
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- Students are proud of their new school!
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- Preschool students in their new classroom!
Voldrogue School Construction Update – February 14, 2012
Construction work on the new school in Voldrogue continues to move ahead well. The concrete block walls of the Preschool building are complete and the foundation on the Administration building is nearly done. We will begin foundation work on the six classroom primary school building in February. We are awaiting the availability of backhoe to level a portion of a hillside and dig the two cisterns that will supply water for the school. Stay tune for more information!
Haiti Teen Trip 2012
Haiti Teen Trip 2012
Sponsored by ZanmiSasye and Sacred Heart Parish
ZanmiSasye and Sacred Heart Parish are sponsoring the 2nd Teen Trip to Haiti this Summer. This is a great opportunity for Teens to experience Haiti and to share themselves and their talents with the teens of St Jean Baptiste, Sacred Heart’s twin Parish in Sassier, Haiti. If you know someone who might be interested, please pass this information along to them.
Teens! Are you interested in a Mission/Adventure trip that you will remember for the rest of your life? If you are, the Teen Trip to Haiti 2012 is for you. You will have the chance to experience a new culture, make new friends, and work side-by-side with Teens from Sassier to make a real impact.
In 2008, 16 Sacred Heart Teens journeyed to Sassier for 10 days and were transformed by their experiences. Several of them are planning an Alumni trip next Summer. Even though their languages weren’t the same, all the Teens (American and Haitian) found it easy to communicate-through music, sports, dance, prayer and laughter. Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation from the 2008 trip!
We will leave Chicago Saturday, July 28 and return Monday or Tuesday, August 6 or 7 (this is after the end of summer school at New Trier and Loyola). We will stay together in Sassier in the same accommodations as the 2008 trip.
The first Teen Trip Team meeting is Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 3 PM at Sacred Heart Parish in Winnetka, IL. For more information contact the Team Trip organizer, Deacon Gerry Keenan at gkeenan@shparish.com or 773-251-6626.
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Sassier School Construction Update – January 26, 2012
Construction on the Sassier School continues to move along fairly well. Although the iron and carpentry work for the pouring of the first half of the roof of the large building was complete before the end of the year, the actual pouring could not be accomplished until January 9 because there was not enough water to make the cement. Both large cisterns in the existing school had run dry, since there had been no rain for 6 weeks. (Remember that last November and December, it rained almost every day, making it impossible to construct the school’s foundations until January.) Rains came on January 3, providing sufficient water to complete the first half of the roof on January 9 and 10. On January 19, the bamboo supports and scaffolding were removed and work began on the last half of the roof. If the weather cooperates, the last portion of the roof should be poured by February 15.
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- View of small building (left) and the completed roof (southern half) of the large building. The doors for the first floor of the large building are completed and most exterior doors have been installed.
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- Doors installed on first floor of the large building.
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- The doors are made on-site by the carpenters.
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- The windows for the first floor have been delivered and will be installed in the next few weeks
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- Architect Jason Krumm with the new windows for the first floor of large building.
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- Electrical work has also proceeded along with the rest of the work. Below are the electrical boxes for the large building.
Voldrogue School Construction Update – January 26, 2012
The construction on the new school in Voldrogue was begun on December 11, 2011. The excavation for the foundations of the Preschool and Administration buildings was completed prior to Christmas.
After a break for the Holiday season, work resumed during the week of January 9. As of January 21, the foundations of the Preschool building were complete and work was proceeding on the columns, deck beam and other components of the main floor of the building.
The Primary School Building was laid out by Architect Jason Krumm, Engineer Patrick Duval and General Foreman Mondy Pamphile on January 20 2012. Work will begin on that building in the next week or so. We will use a front loader with a backhoe to do the necessary excavations, including the cisterns that will be located under that building.
Click each thumbnail below to view the image in full size.
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- Preschool Building Construction Site – January 20, 2012
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- Preschool building construction site with Clinic Building – January 20, 2012
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- Ironworkers fabricating reinforced concrete columns
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- Due to soil conditions, it was necessary to dig the foundations of the Administration Building deeper than anticipated. Stable soil was found at about 1.2 meters. Foundation work is now moving ahead on the Administration building.
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- Architect Jason Krumm, Engineer Patrick Duval and General Foreman Mondy Pamphile using triangulation to ensure the location of the new Primary School building is correct.
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- Truck unloading sand for the construction project.
Live in Haiti – Medical Mission
A team of medical professionals from Holland Hospital in Holland, Michigan is on the ground this week in Sassier, providing primary medical care in both Sassier and Voldrogue (about 45 minutes from Sassier). Please view our pictures below, and learn more about this mission by clicking here.
Several of the Holland Hospital Team have been to Sassier twice in the past two years. The teams are likely to treat more than 1,500 patients during the medical clinics. Each of the Team members pays all their own expenses and most make a contribution to the cost of medicine or other expenses. Without these incredibly generous folks, the medical care situation in Sassier would be dire. We are most grateful to them for their generous spirit and their willingness to share themselves and their skills with our sisters and brothers in Sassier.
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- Our Pharmacy team of Roger and Michelle consult about the right medicines for a patient.
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- Michelle makes sure a patient understands the proper doses of her medication, with assistance from translator Nono.
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- Dr. Antoine interviews a patient before the examination.
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- Two month old with mother waiting to see the doctor.
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- This woman came to the clinic in pretty bad condition.
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- Brother and sister waiting patiently with their Mom at the Sassier clinic.
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- Nurse Lisa takes great care of one of our many little patients.
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- Nurse Jan with her new favorite baby!
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- Nurse Ann Page interviewing an older woman about her illness.
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- Dr Tong visits with one of the students from St Jean Baptiste School who has a skin infection.
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- Dr Mike Page at his pediatric consultation room under the trees.
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- One of our translators, Gabrielle, an aspiring nurse.
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- Nurse Practitioner Dan listening carefully to a woman patient.
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- Nurse Pierre-Louis cares for a man’s wounded hand.
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- Students waiting to be checked out at the clinic’s last day.
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- This boy is suffering from typhoid fever; receiving antibiotics intravenously.
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- Our Pharmacy Team. A+
Voldrogue School Construction Update
On December 11, we broke ground for a new preschool and primary school building in Voldrogue, about 45 minutes’ walk from Sassier, although still in the Sassier Parish. For a number of years, children from Kindergarten to 3rd grade have been attending school in the Chapel of St Ann there. Every day, more than 150 students attend classes.
After finishing 3rd grade, the students now have to walk 45 minutes each way to attend school in Sassier. Thanks to the generosity of the German Government, the Germany Catholic group Kindermisionswerk and the Association for Schools in Hispaniola, children in Voldrogue will soon be able to attend school through 6th grade near their homes.
Construction is expected to be completed in time for the beginning of the 2012-13 school year in September. Check out construction pictures below (from January 2012).
Concrete blocks are made on- site.
Ironworkers tying rebars for columns for new school in Voldrogue.
Click here to view some pictures of the excavation work.
Read MoreNew Sassier School Construction Moving Ahead Rapidly
Work on the construction of the new preschool and primary school is now moving ahead very well. The 2nd floor roof on the smaller building was finished in mid-November. Work is now focusing on 2nd floor of the larger building, which should be complete in early January. The doors and windows of the rooms on the 1st floor of the large building have been ordered and will be installed in December. The new building should be ready for occupancy in March 2012. The whole Sassier community is getting very excited about the completion of the new school. Everyone is grateful to the German Government, the Germany Catholic group Kindermisionswerk and the Association for Schools in Hispaniola for providing all the funding for the new school, new school furnishings and a new playground. Sassier is also becoming the talk of the provincial capital, about 10 miles away. In the past month, the local national Parliamentary Delegate (Congressman) and the local national Senator came to Sassier to look at the new school building and the new concrete road, amazed that such things could be happening in such a remote area. In our last new letter we showed you a picture of the workers completing the first floor roof of the larger portion of the new building. Here is a picture of the same building December 14 and a picture of the smaller building, which is now structurally complete.
Large building–note work on roof beams to hold the concrete roof.
Small building–note that the three rooms on the first floor are already being used for classrooms. There is no other place to put all the children!! There are 28 classrooms of students but only 20 classrooms in the existing school building.
Gift Quandary? Adopt a Sassier Student!!
The end of the first trimester of studies is approaching quickly at the Parish School in Sassier. Examinations have begun and students are studying hard to do their best. Taking examinations is a real challenge for all students, but doing well is a great reward. So also is the vacation that begins at the completion of the examination period.
Our challenge is providing enough money to pay the teachers, buy the books, provide hot lunches every day and cover all the other myriad expenses of operating a school with 850 students. Our preschool and primary school students will be moving into a brand new school next Spring (see below) that was funded entirely by the German Government, the Germany Catholic group Kindermisionswerk and the Association for Schools in Hispaniola. However, they do not provide any operating funds for School. We rely solely on donations, large and small, to provide the Gift of Education to all these students.
Our Adopt a Student 2011 project is a great way to support the Sassier School. Sponsoring a preschool or primary school child costs only $100 per year. Imagine, being able to provide an whole year’s education to a child for less than 30 cents per day!
To sponsor one or more students in the primary school, mail a check for $100 per student to: Adopt a Student 2011, 1077 Tower Road, Winnetka, IL 60022. You can donate online by clicking here, or on the Donate Now button to the right and indicate that your donation is for the Adopt a Student Project.
Adopt a Student 2011 is a join project of Sacred Heart’s Haiti Ministry and Zanmi Sasye–Partners with Sassier. All contributions are deductible to the full extent of the law.
Thank you for your generous support of the children of Sassier!
For more information, please contact Gerry Keenan at gkeenan@palmerbellevue.com.
Read MoreMedical Team to Visit Sassier in January
A team of medical professionals from Holland Hospital in Holland, Michigan will visit Sassier from January 14 to 20 to provide primary medical care in both Sassier and Voldrogue (about 45 minutes from Sassier). Most Sassier area residents rarely have access to a doctor, since the closest ones are in the provincial capital of Jeremie, about 2 hours walk away. Medicines that we have easily available are expensive and hard to obtain. Little medical problems such as lacerations and sore throats can be deadly.
Several of the Holland Hospital Team have been to Sassier twice in the past two years. The teams are likely to treat more than 1,500 patients during the medical clinics. Each of the Team members pays all their own expenses and most make a contribution to the cost of medicine or other expenses. Without these incredibly generous folks, the medical care situation in Sassier would be dire. We are most grateful to them for their generous spirit and their willingness to share themselves and their skills with our sisters and brothers in Sassier.
Watch for pictures and updates on our website, Facebook and Twitter while the Team is in Sassier from January 14 to 20!
The cost of medicines, logistics, translators and other necessities for this medical trip will be about $10,000. If you can help us with these costs, please click on the Donate Now button and indicate that your donation is for the January medical clinic. Thank you very much for your generosity.
Read MoreSchool Construction Update
The 2nd floor roof on the smaller building of the new St Jean Baptiste Primary School was poured on November 15. Work is now focusing on 2nd floor of the larger building, which should be complete in early January. The doors and windows of the rooms on the 1st floor of the large building have been ordered and will be installed in December. The new building should be ready for occupancy in March 2012.
Jason Krumm, our architect from Schools for the Children of the World (www.schoolsforchildren.org) was in Voldrogue on November 3 to take detailed measurements in order to prepare the construction drawings. We have provided 5 wheel barrows so the community members can collect the large stones that we need for the foundation. The new school building, the first ever in Voldrogue, will have 8 classrooms; an office and teachers’ room; storage facility and a handwashing station. It will be wired for electricity and have a gravity-powered running water system with a large cistern for water storage underneath the building. It will be based upon the standard design that Jason developed for us earlier this year.
We expect to begin construction on the project during the week of December 11 and finish in July 2012. The cost of the construction, fixtures and furnishings, painting and playground equipment is being provided by the German Government Ministry BMZ, the German Catholic charity Kindermissionswerk and the German organization Association for Schools in Hispaniola.
Watch for additional updates on our website and on Facebook and Twitter.
Read MoreSassier Water System Rehabilitation and Expansion Project
Started in August 2011, this project will rehabilitate and expand the potable water system in the area around Sassier. The water system has not been operable since the Hurricanes of 2008. The original system was installed in 2005; prior to that time, there was no access to potable water.
The project will have three Phases. Phase I has three components: a) organizing a Water System governing committee that represents all of the villages that would be affected by the water system; b) hiring a water system engineer(s) to prepare a rehabilitation and possible expansion plan for the system; and c) doing some repairs to the existing distribution system that would get people involved in the project and be a visible sign of that something is happening.
The whole community is actively involved in the project, led by a Project Steering Committee is made up of 2 representatives from each of the 14 villages that will be served by the rehabilitated and expanded system. There are 4 subcommittees to focus on the various aspects of the project. These include: 1) Governance Committee, focusing on the long term governance, operations and funding aspects of the system once it is completed; 2) Planning Committee, focusing on working with the engineer to plan the rehabilitation and expansion of the system; 3) Motivation Committee, focused on organizing the community to give their support and participation to the actual work that will need to be done to accomplish the project; and 4) Communication Committee, focused on keeping the community informed about the project and its progress, particularly through community meetings that will be held throughout Phase I.
The Steering Committee will have two days of training in December on how to work effectively as a team and how an Association/Water Committee is structured and operates. Since the community will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the water system once the project is completed, it is very important that the leadership is competent and has the skills necessary to keep the water system operating.
We expect the water engineers to provide a final plan and budget for the project by the end of January, after consultation with the Project Steering Committee.
We are pursuing funding for the whole project, which we expect to cost about $350,000 to $500,000. A grant from Catholic Relief Services is providing a portion of the funding for Phase I. If you have any ideas about potential funding sources, please let us know.
Read MoreHoof It For Haiti
Hoof It For Haiti 2011 Charity 5K and Fun Run
The second Annual Hoof It for Haiti Charity 5K and Fun Run will take place on Sunday, May 22, 2011, beginning at 8 AM in beautiful Glencoe, IL. The race will wind through the broad, leafy streets east of the historic Glencoe train station. Up to 400 runners are expected. Teams and individual runners will be participating. Team and age group prizes will be awarded.
Click here for more information
College Pierre Toussaint Students plan school-wide celebration for Carnival.
College Pierre Toussaint Tenth & Eleventh grade students are bust planning celebration for Carnival on March 4, 2011. The celebration will include music, games, skits, and dancing by different grade level groups. Students from the national school in Sassier will also participate. Carnival is the traditional celebration in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday, which this year, is March 9, 2011.
Read MoreThree College Pierre Toussaint Students to Attend World Youth Day
Three Students from College Pierre Toussaint in Sassier, Haiti will be attending World Youth Day this August in Madrid, Spain as a part of the delegation from the Archdiocese of New York. Scheduled for August 16 to 21, World Youth Day is a gathering of young Catholics from around the world for prayer, community-building, study and celebration. More than 300,000 young Catholics from 130 countries are expected at World Youth Day 2011.
The College Pierre Toussaint students will be Ambassadors representing their 280 fellow students and the entire Sassier community. The three student Ambassadors will be chosen in March from those 10th and 11th grade students who submitted essays about why they wanted to attend World Youth Day and how they would bring their experience back to the College Pierre Toussaint and the Sassier, Haiti community.
Read MoreRoad Rehabilitation Transforms Greater Sassier, Haiti Area
Since November, Orgaizasyon Zanmi Sasye has been rehabilitating nearly 7 kilometers of roads leading in and out of Sassier. Funded by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the project has provided work for more than 1000 Sassier area residents—providing benefits for nearly 4000 additional family members. Unskilled workers earn US$5 per day—a large amount in an areas where they are few jobs and much need. Women comprise nearly 45% of the workforce, assuring that benefits also flow to single parent households
Most of the work has been accomplished without machinery—with shovels, picks, hoes and wheelbarrows. The work is very hard, but the teams have taken great pride in their work. They are building a new future for themselves and their families. Try spending the day pushing a wheelbarrow full of cement up and down a hill! Or carrying 40 pound pails of water uphill from the river to the cement mixers!
The Project will have significant economic development benefits for the community. Prior to the beginning of the project, the road conditions were abysmal, with the only road to Sassier impassable for days during rainy periods. A primary focus of the project is creating a concrete, two lane surface for nearly a kilometer of the most treacherous portion of the road. Creating year-round road access will create new business opportunities and ensure that needed supplies can reach Sassier, despite the weather.
Read MoreHaiti Elections: Reactions on the Ground
The official election results are in this morning and the two candidates in the final round are Mirlande Manigat and Michel Martelly.
Spirits are high in Port au Prince this morning. The ‘Power of the Truth’ and justice have prevailed. In Jeremie, the city is buzzing with joy. The Presidential electionwill take place on March 20, 2011.
School Foundations are finished! Work begins on the first floor!!
Work on the first floor of the new school building in Sassier is moving ahead. Despite terrible weather in November and December (including Hurricane Tomas) and the Cholera outbreak, work on the foundations for the new 18 room school building in Sassier has been completed. Construction of the first floor walls commenced in the past week.
Although a 20 classroom school building was just completed in 2008 for Institution Pierre Toussaint, St Jean Baptiste parish’s school in Sassier, there is already more students than classroom space. Enrollment increased by 30% in the past year to 851, including more than 110 migrants from the earthquake zone. Students from Preschool to 11thGrade receive the Gift of Education including books and hot lunches daily, thanks to donors to the Adopt a Student program (in cooperation with Sacred Heart Parish in Winnetka, IL) and the Venerable Pierre Toussaint Scholarship Fund of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
Read MoreHaiti Payday: Food For Work
Today (Sunday) is payday for the all 525 workers (non-qualified labor in USAID-speak) on our road rehabilitation project. These workers have worked 24 days over the past 5 weeks, doing heavy manual labor on the roads. Since this is a Food-for-Work project, the workers get paid at the end of their 24 day shift. Over a 7 hour period, about 58,000 pounds of dried green peas, 58,000 pounds of soy-enriched bulgur, and 2625 gallons of cooking oil will be distributed. Each worker gets a 110 pound bag of peas, a 110 pound bag of bulgur and 5 gallons of cooking oil. (total weight of about 265 pounds). A little bit different from going to the grocery store in the US.
For some, it was a family outing. The whole family came, brought extra bags and containers, split the large bags into manageable portions, and then carried them home together. For those of you wondering what “manageable portions” might mean, we saw women carrying half-bags (about 55 pounds) on their heads with no discernable problem. Local folks who own donkeys, mules or horses are doing a good business carrying the large bags for some workers. Donkeys are queued up at the bottom of the driveway like cabs outside a major hotel, waiting for a fare.
The process is well organized and thorough, to prevent cheating and fraud. These additional steps, however, slow the process somewhat. Despite the long wait, people are very patient. Fortunately, a light cloud bank covered the area soon after the distribution started, so waiting for a long time in the middle of the day is a little easier.
In some ways, the distribution has become a social event, as families from all over the 40 sq mile area who have not seen one another for several months get a chance to visit, catch up on community events and maybe even exchange some juicy gossip. There is a constant din outside of the house here, but the smiling faces of those receiving food, and even those waiting, portray the happiness of everyone here. This food will feed families well for weeks. After Hurricane Tomas ruined so many people’s crops in early November, this food will prevent hunger and associated disease and misery for many families.
Workers are called to the registration desk by team, have their hand stamped, dip their index finger in indelible ink, and stamp their fingerprint on the payout record, next to their name. More than half of the people are completely non-literate, so getting signatures is not an option.
Read MoreMedical Mission to Haiti January 2011
Coming to an area where almost no primary health care is available, the medical team will treat nearly 1000 patients during the clinic. Malaria, typhoid fever, chronic hypertension, diabetes and vitamin deficiencies are among the commmon ailments treated. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the medical team has a well stocked pharmacy to provide medicine and vitamins to their patients. Despite the significant number of patients, the medical team members are dedicated to giving personal attention to each patient. The team includes 2 Haitian doctors and 4 Haitian nurses, who work collaboratively with the American team of 2 doctors, 1 nurse practictioner, 1 pharmacist and 4 registered nurses.
Read MoreHaiti: A Doctor’s View
Dr. Clint Griffin, M.D., Holland Hospital Emergency Room
This is my first trip to Haiti and I didn’t really know what to expect. My partner at work at Holland Hospital, Michael Page, had been to Haiti several times and was very familiar with the setting and the country because of his previous trips. Michael had filled me in as to what to expect, but I didn’t really know what it was like here in Haiti, that is, not until I got here.
We are in Sassier, Haiti, and it is beautiful here. The surrounding area that we flew into in Port au Prince is much more desolate as they have logged most of the hillsides and mountains in the area. So, I didn’t know what to expect when I got here to Sassier. I also didn’t know how well things would go as far as landing in Haiti. But I was met just clearing customs by Gerry Keenan who is hosting us here (Partners with Sassier). Gerry is a very outgoing and organized, and everything went very smoothly because of Gerry’s efforts.
The flight from Port au Prince to Jeremie was seamless and the transition went very well. I got to see Junior, a Haitian who I had met in the US because he had been to Michigan several times. We had attended church with him and the Page family and he was a comforting and familiar face when I landed in Port au Prince. The more I met our Haitian partners here, the more I realized what a truly genuine and authentically kind and generous people they are. That makes giving to the Haitian people the easiest thing you could ever imagine. Donating our time and our talents here has been a true pleasure.
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