Concrete

This is actually a couple of months late but this is a good time as any to share it.

Half of what was poured as seen from the roof of the existing building

The school out at Repatriate started 3 years ago (I think). It has 2 PreK classes, 2 K-1 classes and 1 K-2 class…and the building they have isn’t big enough for next year when they will add another 2 classes of children. So they started building the second building in February. A long-time friend of HOM’s came down to oversee the pouring of the foundation concrete. He is a mason and has poured most of the foundations for HOM buildings. First they had to dig very large trenches to pour the concrete into and when that was done they filled it with iron rebar for strength and support…bent and tied together and sticking up for the columns…strong enough to walk on. 

I'm in the background in red--watching!

All the concrete was mixed by hand (no big trucks for us-though I think they are available here). 7 small mixers placed around the square foundation…over 150 Haitians working carrying buckets of sand, cement, water, gravel to the mixers then shoveling it around to even it out under all the rebar. I went out with the team as it was one of my mornings off. I thought I would just watch and see what was going on with the team as some of them were headed to different worksites but we all wanted to see what was going on. It was such a hive of activity! People moving everywhere and no one running into any one else (until all of us visitors showed up) and then I was asked to hold something so they could measure to make sure a column wasn’t out of place…and then I was helping shovel the concrete flat…and me in my flip flops! They loved it (I was pretty happy with it—not having to wear shoes) Many Haitians wear flip flops or go barefoot on a construction site as they do not have proper footwear…I think they were getting a kick out of me in my flip flops.

Grace and I stirring and moving the concrete