Tilory; October return

This was a whirlwind trip- but probably one of our most important yet.

We were able follow up on several previous projects as well as complete the construction of our pilot sanitation project in beautiful Tilory.

We returned to Tilory via the Dominican border; Mike and I (see his previous blog) drove in over the border with our truck laden with supplies. We arrived carrying tin roofing, construction materials and tools to create new toilets and composting facilities. We rondezvoused with Pierre while rounding a hairpin turn on a mountain road between Restauracion, DR and Tilory, Haiti- he was on his way to fetch us from what can be a compromising border- (thanks to Philip Morris and the duty free shops at JFK, we passed unscathed)

We were welcomed into Tilory, heartily. (I think maybe because we arrived with half of the village in the back of the truck, having picked up thumb'ers all along the mountain road) After planting the seed with key community leaders and agronomists during our September trip, we were happy to find that the enthusiasm for a sanitation solution in Tilory had spread throughout the village. We were greeted immediately with requests to host the pilot program as soon as our boots hit the ground.

Pierre orchestrated another series of educational meeting regarding general sanitation and clean water solution in addition to toilet strategy; We spent a full day on education before moving into site planning.

On Day two we visited a list of potential sites for toilets and composting areas. After a community meeting and vote we decided on two composting and three toilet locations. We created a volunteer group of managers who would be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the new facilities- as well as the budgets for sanitary supplies, paper, soap and water, etc.

This north-eastern area of Haiti is rich in resources- and we were able to get relatively inexpensive rough lumber from nearby sawmills. This is a luxury not afforded us in PaP. We were able to purchase rough-cut plank and 2x4 studs for a sixth of the cost we would find in Port Au Prince. No too mention all the sawdust we could dream of!! For Free!!!

Below you can see the pit latrine used by Joel and his family. A community leader and land-owner, Joel volunteered an area of his property to create a composting area, as well as a composting toilet.

We removed the old latrine and structure and built a new toilet structure. This is the before and after of the interior of the toilets below.

We also built a toilet for public use by the neighbors in this Hilltop location.This neighborhood community is a tight knit group who share communal responsibilities- it seems to be a perfect place to put a community toilet system; folks here are already sharing daily chores- I am excited about doing more with this group. The kids are a lot of fun too.

While we completed the build out of the toilets and composting areas, Mike and I met Ti-ti; He has run the "Orphan School" here in Tilory for years. Pierre had worked with him previously- in his tiny ramshackle school he had enrolled as many as 100 students at a time- I'm not sure where they all fit...

 
Mike and I worked with Ti-Ti to replace the stairs and later the roof of the school; unfortunately there is no video of me falling through the old roof and hanging, suspended, upside down by my bootlaces.... Pretty exciting.

We are working on a budget and proposal for a new roof for the school- really we need to build a brick-and mortar location.... Anything short of that is a temporary fix. See our video for more on the orphan school.

In the middle of November, Pierre was able to visit Tilory and check in after almost three weeks.

The reports sound fantastic. The rest of his team sounds to have fallen in love with Tilory, much as we all did on our first visit. The toilets were being well managed and used regularly by the community. The Sanitation team provided additional Sanitation training including a program on Cholera and preventing the spread of water-borne illness.

I was also excited to learn today that the school is operational again and Ti-Ti has 30 or so students taking some instruction daily.

We will return with tools and supplies in December- we will also build a materials list to rebuild the school roof. More to come in the next week or so....

thanks for checking in!