By Laura Polynice
If you’ve ever been to Haiti or have been following work in Haiti for a while, you know getting anything accomplished takes a lot of effort. There are challenges and roadblocks at every turn. Now, with the political situation and the insecurity created by the gangs, it is even more difficult than usual to get anything done. Nonetheless, with the persistence of our staff, creativity in planning, and the collaboration of the community, things still get done. Let me give you one example from earlier this week.
PLH has been working to build a bridge to replace some culverts in the PLH driveway. A heavy rain this spring washed out the culverts and the overflow of water became a threat to our basketball court.
Heavy rains washed out a small retaining wall next to the basketball court.
The project was moving along well and the bosses began to pour the final top slab of concrete for the bridge. As they were working, it became apparent that they did not have enough bags of cement. Remember, all concrete in Haiti is mixed on site either by hand or with a small, ½ yard concrete mixer like we have. We purchased the estimated amount of gravel, sand, and cement, but now the bridge was at risk of being compromised by running out of cement halfway through the pour.
Typically, we get our cement and other materials from a supplier and pay our bill at the end of the month. Due to the insecurity on the roads, however, this supplier did not have any cement in stock. So, our Haitian Operations Manager began the hunt. As he had just finished paying out the organization’s payroll for the month, he did not have the cash in hand to purchase more cement. He hurried to the bank to make a withdrawal; however, the bank had just closed. He was able to talk to the security and convince them to let him in to talk to the teller. Inside, the teller told him the bank did not have cash to give - dollars or gourdes. He left the bank, made some calls, and was able to write a check to someone who gave him the cash in return. Now, he was off to purchase the cement! But, it was nowhere to be found.
Our manager scoured the city of Saint Marc as well as a couple neighboring towns. Everywhere he asked, they said, “Don’t ask me about cement! There is no cement!”
He returned to Camp Marie empty handed and went to speak to someone in the community, asking if he had any cement. He did not, but he said another man had a project he was planning to do next week and he had some cement. Our manager went and talked to the community member who generously loaned PLH 65 bags of cement. The PLH staff loaded up the cement and delivered it to the project where it was mixed up and added to the pour. The bosses finished up the work after a 12 hour day, and our manager began to devise how he would find 65 bags of cement within the next week to replace what we had borrowed.
Nothing is easy in Haiti right now. Everyone is suffering - even those who aren’t being run out of their home, watching family members be tortured, dying of starvation, or being kidnapped or killed. Resources are scarce. Money is tricky to acquire even if you have it in the bank. Traveling anywhere is a risk to your life. And yet, life must go on. Projects must continue. Progress must be made. We pray for peace for the country, for an end to this suffering caused by gangs and corruption. Beyond that, however, we pray for progress, that Haiti can come out of this current tragedy and become a stronger nation that functions well and provides opportunity to its people. PLH exists to empower Haitians to build a stronger Haiti. This mission is long and difficult, but we work with a long-term vision and hope for a brighter future. Thank you for being a part of it and for joining us in this mission.
To watch a short Facebook video reel of the bridge being built click on the button below!