It’s the last day before Sherman heads back to the US. The team has been waking up at 5am and on the jobsite until late, catching the last rays of light to get work done. The pressure is on to complete grading and backfilling of the site in preparation for next week when Steve Poulos will arrive with his team to fabricate the steel trusses for the roof of Extollo's Interim Training Center.

Sherman keeps busy with grading while Marty oversees the workers. This front loader may be small but it gets the job done.

The team works on the stone retaining wall. In the background, the containers are in place for the Interim Training Center.

There are 35 workers employed on the jobsite this week. With the exception of Extollo graduates, Edouard, Robenson, Mackenson and Aldo, most are unskilled laborers from the community of Bercy who are grateful to have work. Many are hoping for a chance to join one of the training sessions scheduled this summer and fall once the Interim Training Center is built.

This is Seraphin, a day laborer with a tremendous work ethic.

The 561 foot long wall, which runs along the southen boundary of the property, is nearly half complete, but it's time consuming work which will keep the workers employed for another 2-3 weeks.

It requires digging a trench for the wall's foundation and sorting through stones to find the perfect fit for the wall - a bit of a stone puzzle.

The teams' workmanship is impecable - that is one tight wall!

Always with a smile, Edouard shows off his perfect find for the build of the wall.

Sherman and Marty spend Thursday evening after work visiting some of the workers at their homes in Bercy.

Twin brothers, Celonais and Dilonais Sylve, age 24, share this small single room house made of 2 x 4's covered with tarps. While tidy and well maintained, like most homes in Haiti, it is vulnerable to Haiti's hurricances, floods and earthquakes. The twins have the nick name "Marasa" which in Kreyol means twins.

Lakay Marasa (the Twins' House).

Built of sticks & mud, the house of the twins' neighbor really impressed Sherman.

After a long day, Sherman and Marty return to their hotel. Not a bad view - there are some advantages to the location of the new training center in Bercy, which is approx 45 minutes north of Port-au-Prince along the coastline.

Sherman and Marty Visit Bercy Team Members in Their Homes

Recent Posts

Don't Make This Mistake When Helping Haiti

How can we help Haiti? 4 Reasons Mission Trips Could Be Harmful

Privilege and Perspective