HAITI CHERI HARVEST LIFE MINISTRIES

Dolval, Haiti School Construction Project

 

I. Setting

 

Dolval is a mountainous village located in the heart of Haiti's Northeast Department. The Northeast Department contains 12 districts. Dolval is the principal village of the Terrier Rouge district. It is boarded on the north by the Bay of Phaeton, on the south by the Mountain of Perches, on the east by Ouanaminthe near the Dominican Republic border, and on the west by Trou du Nord. The map of Haiti below marks the location of Dolval.

 

 

According to Haiti Cheri's census taken in January, 2005, there are about 3200 people living in Dolval in 391 homes. All of Dolval consists of the following zones, or neighborhoods: Carmel, Grand Chemen, Ti Sous, La Sous, Roman, Anba Mòn, and Birel.

As with most of the country, Dolval is an extremely economically depressed area. Unlike many other parts of the country, this area has potential for substantial economic improvement. The land is not severely overpopulated, and the potential exists for sustainable agriculture and other development. The people in the area exhibit a positive spirit and live with dignity despite their circumstances. The foundation of any development projects to come is education. Accordingly, Haiti Cheri currently supports school teachers in grades K-8, with a class to be added each year through all high school grades.

 

II. Current Issues

 

The Haiti Cheri school does not have adequate facilities to live up to its potential. Classes meet outside, or in temporary structures such as the one shown below.

 

 

Periods of inclement weather make it challenging for classes to take place. Partnering with Haiti Cheri, the people of Dolval are doing the best they can with their limited resources. Approximately 400 students are educated in the Haiti Cheri school. These students receive a nutritious hot meal every school day, along with daily vitamins. The inadequate facilities make it extremely challenging to provide a basic education and to deliver other important services.

A proper school building is important, not for the sake of the building itself, but rather as another foundational step to do more in Dolval. It is actually related to many of Haiti Cheri's other programs that have direct impact on the Dolval population. For example, food grants are available from various charities for school nutrition programs, but organizations want to visit physical facilities and see that there is a secure place to store food. This is but one example of how the building will positively impact many of Haiti Cheri's other programs.

 

III. Population Served

Haiti Cheri's census indicated that approximately 1600 children are of school age in the Dolval community. 400 students are served by a National School located in the Dolval vicinity. Haiti Cheri's private school currently provides education to an additional 400 students. This leaves another 400 children who are not receiving any education at all. The table below indicates the distribution of the student population in the Haiti Cheri school by zone.

 

ZONE	No. of Students	% of Total
Carmel	56	14%
Gran Chemen	165	41.25%
Ti Sous	90	22.5%
La Sous	43	10.75%
Roman	6	1.5%
Anba Mòn	16	4%
Birel	24	6%
TOTAL	400	100%

 

IV. The Solution

 

Haiti Cheri's board of directors operating in Haiti is fortunate to have a degreed civil engineer among its membership. A plan has been completed for a proper school to address the needs of the Dolval children. The village has donated some of the property needed for the school, and Haiti Cheri has purchased additional land. The conceptual design of the school is shown below.

 

 

The construction mode is concrete block stucco, with a temporary tin roof. The foundation and walls are of sufficient strength to easily support a second story at some point in the future when funding is available. Construction on the project has been progressing intermittently as funding has allowed since 2003, with the foundation walls nearly complete as of this writing. 

Haiti Cheri is seeking funding to complete this project in the year 2006. Because of the remote location of Dolval, it is challenging and expensive to get materials to the building site. Nonetheless, the construction skills necessary to complete the project exist within the village and management skills to oversee the project exist within the Haiti Cheri Board of Directors. The village is strongly supportive of the project and are anxious to see the building come to fruition. Since the local people are building the school with their own hands, they will have a true sense of ownership when the project is complete.. 

IV. Impact

As previously indicated, Haiti Cheri is currently providing an education to 400 students in grades K-8. Before Haiti Cheri became involved in Dolval in 2001, only 87 children were attending the private school. The organization is committed to add one grade per year until all high school grades are provided. The completion of the facility will permit the school to operate split sessions with high school in the afternoon and primary school in the morning. By operating split sessions in the completed facility, the 400 children of school age not presently going to school will be afforded the opportunity to attend school. These additional students will be phased in over a four year period, with the school operating at full capacity with the two sessions by the year 2010.

Education is a key to reducing poverty. Haiti Cheri is committed to providing long term solutions, rather than simply applying resources that ultimately perpetuate the underlying causes of poverty. The children are not the only members of the community who will benefit from the school building. Adults will benefit as well.

Haiti Cheri is committed to providing literacy and vocational training to adults in the community. According to UNICEF, the adult literacy rate in Haiti was only 52% as of the year 2004. Once people are able to read and do basic mathematics, they have the potential to start small businesses. Vocational training will further equip adults to achieve this goal. Other Haiti Cheri programs will provide micro-business funding and training to launch new enterprises within the community. 

The school building will also be used to provide community health education. According to UNICEF, life expectancy at birth in Haiti is only 52 years. Data from Haiti Cheri's own census of the Dolval community indicates that the infant mortality rate is 9.4%. This is not acceptable, and demonstrates the need for health education and services. Many studies show that education is the most effective means to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Combined with Haiti Cheri's commitment to provide clean, accessible water sources, education will dramatically improve the overall health, quality of life, and life expectancy of the community.

Education is the key for both children and adults that allows people to be productive, earn wages to support their families, maintain better health, and contribute to society. This is the impact the school will have on the Dolval community.

V. Financial Proposal

 

Project Summary
Specification			Amount  ($US)
001-Material Cost			54,944.00
002-Labor (at 40% of norm)			25,870.00
003-Transportation			9,741.00
004-Project Management/Supervision			8,784.00
005-Contingencies & Other			1,319.00
TOTAL COST			$100,658.00
Phase I Completion (currently in process)		8,882.00
Foundation
Concrete Pouring
Preparation for Walls
Phase II		22,697.00
55% Material
10% Transportation
12% Labor
10% Construction Supervisor
3%  Contingency
Phase III		30,592.00
60% Material
20% Labor
8%   Supervision
2%   Contingency
Phase IV		38,487.00
60% Material
35% Transportation
5%   Labor
Total For All Phases		$100,658.00
Phase I	Phase II	Phase III	Phase IV
Masonry	Archways	Plaster Base	Cleanup
Rebar	Tile	Plaster Finish	Paint
Excavation	Columns	Metal Work	Toilets
Forms	Plumbing	Primer	Electrical Conduit
Wall Elevation	Electrical	Ceramic
Walls	Framing of Stairways	Mosaic