Wednesday, October 30, 2013 

We bid farewell to Thomas and headed back to Port A Prince and the Methodist Guest House.  In the process, we did some shopping and scored an amazing 5 for 5.  We needed to purchase a 250 Gal water storage tank for Tuesdays school, buy a small clip to finish up the wood box for system number 3, stop by the central store that has a broad variety of educational materials, find and purchase two

small fuses for system number 3, and, not the least important, supplies of Haitian coffee and spicy peanut butter to take home.  Our transportation was, of course, provided by a classic tap-tap, but ours was missing the requisite bags of rice, stalks of bananas, several passengers on the roof, at least 10 passengers inside, and, since no blog about Haiti would be complete without reference to a goat, at least one goat on the roof.  And in deference to PETA, the requisite goat picture is one that was in the schoolyard at the Institue Mixte Foyerdivan.

It has been a pleasure writing this blog and I hope it has provided some insight as to how we lived and what we accomplished. 

From a long term perspective we hope to learn how the various pieces of equipment and software are used, what works, and what doesn’t, then adjust our concepts and be back early next year with a modified system for another school.

In closing, the payback for us was watching the school teachers using a computer and figuring out how they could use them in their class rooms, and the staff and children realizing that they now had safe drinking water!  A very rich reward indeed.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013 

Tuesday was pretty much a repeat of Monday in that we successfully delivered a solar power system, water purifier, computers, and teaching material (posters, flash cards, etc.).  These are items that we 

 

have seldom seen in the classrooms we have visited.  Note that in this classroom, the walls are canvas held up by tree limbs, the desks are just wooden boards put together to hold 3-4 kids per bench, and the teaches desk may or may not exist.  There is nothing on the walls to make this attractive to learning.  And, this class is just one of 4 that are side-by-side without even partitions between the classes!

Before leaving, Steve, Zac, and doug enjoyed a local delicacy – fresh sugar cane, cut to size by a machete!  Very good, but lots of fiber to not swallow.

We returned to Thomas and in a matter of an hour or so, finished up the third system (which will be delivered to some as yet to be selected school), tested it out, and declared success, with the exception of a couple of parts that we needed to get on Wednesday in Port A Prince.

Monday October 28, 2013 

Another very successful day in that we had a pickup truck take the solar power system/cart, the computers and projector, and us up to the school that is being started by Jean Claude.  When we arrived, the classes were in session so we sort of sneaked peaks into their classrooms.  As an initial hand-off of the computers, Steve showed the staff how to use these laptops and  how to use the
 










 

educational software that is on them.  He notice that the teachers were very tentative relative to selecting and clicking on what might be the wrong icon, but when he insisted that they could do no harm no what they clicked on, they were very relieved and started to be a bit more adventurous..  Note how the children looked over their teacher’s shoulders.  And, like kids everywhere, they will be clicking and drag/dropping faster than there teachers in very short order.

Zac and Doug assembled the system and prepared to show the staff how it worked.  As would be expected of a school sitting on a hillside, the water tank was located at the top.  After much pulling and pushing we finally managed to get the cart up to the water tank and set to work showing the staff how to take water from a bucket that was filled in the irrigation ditch a half mile down the hill , process it, and then have a drink.  Naturally, as the proud papa of the system, Doug had to be the first person to take a drink – a real statement of faith. 

(BTW, it's now three days later, and Doug is feeling no ill effects!)  The Noah Trekker from Noah Water Company of Michigan really builds a valuable tool for missionary and relief work in off the grid areas. Kudos to them!

Upon completion at this school we returned to Thomas and “almost” completed the building of the third unit – its completion will have to wait until Tuesday.

 

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Sunday, being a day of rest, we participated in the church service at Thomas and were thrilled by the enthusiasm of the lay preacher as well as all of the participants and worshiper. We listened very attentively to the 45 minute sermon that was, of course, in Creole. To summarize, the message of the sermon was……..!

After the service James and his fiancé, Vernique, escorted us to the Club Moulin Sur Mer where we enjoyed a brunch, the surf (both salt water and Internet types), a great pool, a visit to the onsite Haitian museum, and some time to just decompress.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Today was a total success. Zac, Doug, and Steven took a tap-tap to the market and managed to buy everything we needed, from additional cabinet hardware to some tools. All of these cost us 680 goudes, or about$15. As we were leaving the hardware store, a Haitian mounted about four 12 ft long pieces of lumber on either side of his motorbike, fastening them to the frame so they wouldn’t fall off. The only thing unusual with this arrangement, is that they stuck out in front on either side of his front wheel, thus not allowing any sudden turns. We know have a tie as to the oddest load on a motorbike. The other contender is someone dragging 30 ft pieces of steel rebar behind him. The ends swayed back and forth a good 3 feet. Horn blaring, he was headed up the road.!

Meanwhile Steve and James went to a Saturday morning Kids Club that James and a few other adults sponsor where they provide a place for adolescents to learn life skills. A real labor of love. Some of the clothes that we brought were distributed as well.

This afternoon Steve completed the modifications to all 12 of the classmates – they are now ready to give to the various schools, and Zac, Doug, Gabriel, Steven, and James ganged up on the two almost completed solar power systems, inventing a way to hold the box onto the cart, providing air holes for the potentially overheating solar controller, adding legs on either side of the array to hold it in an inclined position point sort of at the sun, and a number of cleanup tasks. We did a final "proof in the pudding" test and found out that one must connect the red/positive clip lead to the positive terminal and the black/negative to the negative terminal and that to do otherwise leads to a blown fuse. We think we can replace the fuse, so this falls into the no harm no foul column. But our local helpers are now very conscious of connecting the battery correctly.

Tonight’s discussion centered on life’s spiritual progression using a baseball diamond and its 4 bases as a metaphor for a four stage progression towards God. Again, very interesting discussions were had.

Friday, October 25, 2013 

We were quite pleased when Carl from Haicom arrived at 8 with our 12 classmate computers. As the day progressed, Steve was able to verify that all except 2 were working properly. Also, 5 of the 6 educational software programs that he brought were operating properly, but one would not, leaving an opportunity for the future!

Doug and Zac did a little redesign of the layout of the solar power electronics to make it more easily assembled, and less sensitive to rain. We finished this re-layout as well as the wiring by noon as hoped. We rolled it out into the (beastly hot) sun, turned it on, and found that we were generating the expected 50-60 watts. After a bunch of high-fives, we set about to build the second unit. This was completed by quitting time at 3:00. It also generated 50-60 watts in the even more beastly hot sun. We have declared success in this endeavor, with one more to build. This one will be built to the greatest extent possible by James and Gabriel.

(Note - to see Thursday's entry, go back to the top of this blog!)

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

We have arrived and as usual is an adrenaline rush. Getting through customs and collecting our baggage is now no different than any airport in the US, but without air conditioning. However, once you get ready to leave the airport, Haiti rushes at you with gusto. At least a hundred porters want to help you with your bags, at least 5 telephone companies are trying to sell you phone service, and many other Haitians just seem to be there waiting for something to happen.

We (Steve, Zack, and myself, Doug) managed to find Warren and his prearranged tap-tap, which as always was painted at least a dozen colors. The ride to Thomas was uneventful, at least if you accept the fact that a two lane highway can take at least 3 streams of car/truck/bus traffic, and, of course, a couple of lanes of motor scooters. Pedestrians on the side or the road are on their own! Each vehicle uses their horn as a non-negotiable notification that they are coming your way and that you had better back off.

Our arrival at Thomas was filled with greeting old friends and meeting new folks. James, who is our host and Gabriel and Steven are his helpers were there to greet us. Warren had been busy the last several weeks and had the welded metal carts and wooden drawers built for our mobile solar powered systems. We brought with us two water purification systems (Noah Trekker) and 12 Classmate laptops. We delivered the computers to our IT company and he is loading those with the new software that Steve brought.

Tomorrow we will check out the schools where the systems will be located and then start integrating the electronics. We’ll see what progress we make.

Steve led us in an initial discussion of the book "Half Time" which would serve as our evening focus. Its premise is that one’s path toward God is broken up into two halves of one’s life and that each person has a different point in their calendar life that is Half Time.

October Trip Goals

Although few in number, Steve, Zac, Warren and Doug have been busy since their last trip to Thomas Haiti in February of this year designing and prototyping a solar powered electrical source that can support 2-3 laptop computers or a 700 gallon per day water purification system, seeking donations for 3 of these, and arranging to get them built in Haiti.  We are providing the necessary electronics, the computers, and the water purification systems.  These portable power sources will be donated to small schools in the Thomas area to enhance their educational capabilities as well as to improve the health of the children and their families.

This trip is the next in a series of Volunteers in Ministries trips to Thomas, Haiti by teams from the United Methodist Churches in the East Bay area of Northern California.  In the past we have focused on rebuilding homes and churches damaged by the massive earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010, building a two story guest house and kitchen, supporting a hot lunch program for the students at the Methodist school at Thomas with initial and continuing funding, and creating and installing a 12 work station, solar powered, computer lab at the school. 

This blog will chronicle our trials and tribulations as we spend 10 days in Thomas doing final assembly and delivery of the power sources, evaluating the impact our earlier efforts have had, and investigating other locations where similar efforts could be focused upon in the future.  Look for frequent updates during the period October 20^th through October 31^st.