Since 2009, there have been efforts to build a street connecting Jérémie to the rest of the country, but obscurities about land titles and other obstacles allegedly stopped the construction. The people in Jérémie have been protesting against the discontinuance of construction since the company carrying out the construction left the city.
Blog
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Colonial Times
Haiti became one of the wealthiest Caribbean colonies, due to the heavy importation of African slaves and the exploitation of Haiti’s natural resources. At the height of colonization, almost half of the sugar produced in the world came from Haiti. The country was also the world market leader in the production of coffee, cotton, and indigo. This could only have been accomplished by destroying nearly all of Haiti’s forest. The overproduction of agriculture led to much environmental damage that is still visible in Haiti today.
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The Birth of a Nation
Haiti was originally settled by Taino Amerindians. The name Haiti means “Mountainous Land” in the Taino language. After Columbus discovered the island Hispaniola in 1492, Spanish settlers nearly annihilated the Taino tribes within twenty-five years. Spain assigned the mountainous western two-thirds of the island to France, thus creating the state of Haiti.
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Have You Ever Wondered How Banana Bark Cards are Made?
To create banana bark cards, the first step for the Haitian artisans is to collect the banana leaves – and that is not as easy as you might think. None of the cards are painted or dyed and so the variations of color that you see are because the artisan has selected different colored leaves.
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Computer Classes at St. Louis High School
During our trips in October and November 2012, we arrived one step closer to our dream of helping the youth in Jeremie to have a better future. Two computer classrooms with more than 50 laptops are now operational at St. Louis High School! All 400+ students are learning to type with our three teachers: Nancy, John Wally and Josselin. Most are excited about classes, so much that the teachers sometimes have to chase them out of the classroom so they can get to their next class on time. Students with computers in their homes are progressing the fastest, of course, but the others aren’t far behind. Hard to believe, but next week, the students will be taking 1st quarter exams.
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Construction at Brother Paulin School
Tek4Kids started building the pump house and the cistern for the water purification system in November of 2011. We employed the same design as the water purification system installed at St. Therese Montessori School by means of a chlorine generator that uses ordinary salt and electrolysis powered by a 12 volt battery. We also installed two 500 gallon water tanks on the roof of the school into which the purified water is pumped. These water tanks hold the purified water where they can provide constant water distribution for the school.
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The Water Purification System at St. Therese Montessori
Tek4Kids began building the pump house and the roof to the existing cistern with the help of our local construction crew in 2010. Piping was routed from the cistern into the pump house and through the water purification system. This system filters and chlorinates the impure water by means of a chlorine generator using ordinary salt and electrolysis powered by a 12 volt battery. The system has been purifying water for 1 1/2 years and it provides between 500 and 1000 gallons of water for the school every day. The school children are also able to bring jugs of clean drinking water home to their families. Since schools are often the heart of communities, this is an enormous help to a huge number of people. For the families of St. Therese Montessori School, this is often the only affordable possibility to obtain safe drinking water. Because of the existing water purification systems a German non-profit has installed a bathroom facility and Tek4Kids is currently providing water for this system.
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Upcoming Projects at Brother Paulin School
Tek4Kids has many projects in the pipeline to help improve the situation of Brother Paulin School. Our future projects are based on getting volunteers and donations to help the school. That includes a kitchen and a cafeteria, where the women currently cook with firewood. The smoke created by burning these chunks of wood endangers the health of the cooks as well as the children, not to mention the sanitary standards of the kitchen. We also want to improve the school yard, renovate the old building and add electricity and computers to a classroom.
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The Opening Ceremony at St. Therese Montessori
On February 22, 2011, the water purification system at St. Therese Montessori School was officially inaugurated. Many people from the community of Jeremie, including students and teachers were in attendance for the opening ceremony, along with team members from Tek4Kids and the Cathedral of the Assumption, members of our Haitian construction crew, and our translator, Baba Langder.
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