Vermont Haiti Project

Programs: Duchity organization for vocational and voluntour experience (dovve)in november the vocational school hosted a joyous graduation in the brand new community center. There were several hundred in attendance. Graduates earned diplomas in agriculture, computer science, construction, plumbing, english and welding. Graduates from both 2016 and 2017 marched down the aisle (there was no graduation in 2016 due to the general devastation created by hurricane matthew). Fifty percent of the first graduating class of the 3 year agriculture program has found regular employment. Nine graduates from the computer and construction programs have found regular employment. And many others obtain part time work with the skills they have learned. The community space was built as a second floor on the new cement roof over the main school building. The workshop (fr. Bills workshop) is now a scene of lively activity with an open-air instructional area for the vocational school, and a second floor added with two new classrooms currently being used for the displaced high school students, their school having been destroyed by the hurricane.

water purificationthe biosand water filter program steadily grows to provide more people with clean water for drinking, cooking and bathing. More than fifty new biosand filters were purchased and installed in homes in 2017 with clean water education and follow up provided by the local vhp technicians. With each filter being able to serve 10-20 people, this program served up to 1,000 additional people this year. The vocational school continued daily distribution of water to local families from two 500 gallon water tanks set up after the hurricane in october 2016. Next to the tanks, three biosand water filters were staffed by a paid technician who made sure that people knew how to clean their water buckets and use the filters, especially for preventing cholera after the hurricane.

humane infrastructure development system (hids) new program in 2017this sustainable building project, now called hids, which utilizes a concrete panel construction method has evolved in collaboration with the vocational school. The community has completely embraced this design after the original 20 ft. Dome stood the test of 145 mph winds of hurricane matthew. It now is used as the computer classroom. Ten domes of a smaller version have been completed by staff and students of the vocational school in strategic locations which are used in a variety of ways, and perhaps more importantly, offer a sense of safety and preparedness for the future. The vermont engineer heading this project traveled to duchity with a group of university of vermont students to test their research and designs for a zero water use septic system that maximizes nutrient recovery and creates compost; users at the school have given it high scores. They have also designed a new biosand water filter utilizing the concrete modular panels; a prototype was successfully created and there is the possibility of making more of these filters at a low cost on-site.

remaining program areasin 2017, vhp spent $4,040. 00 on hurricane matthew relief for repairing homes, repairing the desab elementary school roof, restoring the kenscoff bakery, and supplying solar lanterns with radio & usb port. The vocational school agriculture instructors and students coordinated seed distribution in duchity and surrounding villages to approximately 350 farmers impacted by the hurricane, and they followed up for evaluation and learning. Funds in the amount of $400. 00 were used for teachers salaries at the primary school in desab. The new microloan program used $200 to start an interest-free loan program in the village of desab. It was a success for the original four women, and there are now eight women participating. A local community leader is coordinating this program which is modeled after the people helping people program in nicaragua. There is great interest in membership as evidenced by the number of people attending the monthly workshops to discuss basic business and entrepreneurial information.