Impact Report - October 2026
Metal Fabrication Team working on the bases for the cafeteria tables.
165 Trainings. 123 Students. And a Kitchen That Finally Made It Home.
Every so often, a month hands you a chance to step back and see the whole picture. October did that for us.
Our training center just wrapped its biggest year yet. That’s 165 trainings and 123 students. And the number we are proudest of is what happens after graduation. Among our graduates, 90% are using their skills, 75% have held a job since graduating, and 40% are gainfully employed. Behind every one of those percentages is a person who walked into our classroom wanting something better and walked out with a trade.
That’s the heart of why we do this work. October gave us plenty of reasons to be encouraged.
Top of the Class
Our Electrical instructors, Vanessa and Jocely, looked at a particularly capable group of students and decided to raise the bar. They revised the coursework and introduced a big-wall installation project where students wired multi-switch circuits across multiple devices using different wire gauges. It was a real test of problem-solving, and the class rose to it. They even installed a new fan in the main classroom, which everyone agreed was a very welcome upgrade. Dounny, who brings professional solar installation experience, earned Top of the Class with a near-perfect practical exam.
In Masonry, our new instructor team of Théophile and Harry is earning strong feedback from students. Two experienced masons trained in European techniques told us that Extollo’s methods let them work more efficiently while using less mortar. Louis took Top of the Class with a flawless wall build and a perfect 40 out of 40 on his practical. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Louis for future masonry projects.
These are our own graduates, now leading classrooms and earning respect from seasoned professionals. That’s excellence being passed down.
Graduates Who Keep Building
We also launched an alumni talent database this month. It tracks training results and work experience for top graduates across every trade, giving us a vetted pool for trainer recruitment, Extollo construction jobs, and outside projects that need skilled hands.
And then there’s Raynaldo. A welding graduate, Raynaldo is using his skills to engineer custom agricultural tools for his farming community: feed grinders, cooking grills, and livestock cages. He has his own generator and welding gear, and he’s already thinking about hiring fellow graduates to help with his growing workload. A graduate who creates jobs for other graduates is exactly the ripple we pray for.
A Kitchen Container Comes Home
Many of you gave to make this happen, so this one is for you. The kitchen container has arrived on campus. After clearing customs, it was offloaded by our boom truck crew and set in place with zero safety incidents. Our Metal Fabrication team finished its doors and windows, and the installation is next.
Here's a video tour and message from Extollo Founder, Sherman Balch while he was recently in Haiti:
Activity Around Campus
Our crews have been busy all over campus. They re-rigged the boom truck to significantly increase its safe lifting capacity, built the first lift hardware prototype for the Tilt-Up Security Wall project (it will become the pattern for 50 units), and started production on 15 cafeteria table assemblies for HHA. Steel frames for the first thirteen sets are done, and the concrete tabletops are coming next.
At Champin, the water tower is about 70% fabricated, three containers that hold our new steel building were unloaded, and backfill and rough grading continue to shape the site. Following the final board meeting of 2026, the team agreed it's time to build Fortium Security Wall panels at Champin to showcase the system, with plans to follow with one or two demonstration homes to spark interest among prospective landowners. This is the first step toward introducing the system and exploring its broader applications in Haiti.
We’re happy to welcome Phil, a new face and partner on campus! With decades of experience in the trades, Phil is lending his expertise at our new Champin site. We also recently welcomed our Project Engineer & Quality Control inspector, Javier, back on campus, where he worked in person alongside his teams, supporting concrete quality and construction practices. We’re grateful for everyone who brings their skills and experience to Haiti. Interested in volunteering or contributing your expertise on campus? We’d love to hear from you!
We also want to say a heartfelt congratulations to Youwens, who was named Employee of the Third Quarter. Humble, faithful, and always quick to give thanks to God, he’s a picture of what leading well looks like.
Growing Through Change
This month we said goodbye to Roody Bayard, who is leaving Haiti to join family abroad after about four years with us. Roody was a jack of all trades, a remarkable leader of our AutoCare team, and our Employee of the Quarter earlier this year. We are so grateful for him and wish him every blessing.
Extollo is helping strengthen Haiti’s construction industry, not just its own operations. Our construction crew completed an all-hands root cause analysis to improve problem-solving and material accountability. Meanwhile, our admin team mapped 45 construction roles and began developing fair salary scales informed by local market surveys. These efforts help professionalize construction, create career paths from laborer to leader, and establish fairer compensation. As an open-source nonprofit, Extollo can share these standards to help elevate opportunities for Haitian workers across the industry.
Why the Next Two Months Matter
Here’s something we care deeply about. Half of Haiti’s gangs are children. Think about what that means. Young people with energy, intelligence, and potential are being pulled toward violence because nobody has offered them a better option.
Extollo is that better option. A trade gives a young person income, dignity, and a future they can build with their own two hands. Our year-end campaign, “Give Them a Better Option,” has begun, and it brings in about 40% of our annual giving. Your gift goes directly toward training the next generation of Haitian builders.
Be Part of the Better Option
If these stories have stirred something in you, we’d love for you to respond. Every gift helps put a student in a classroom, a tool in a graduate’s hands, and a skilled builder on a job site.
You can also come see it for yourself. There’s nothing like standing on our campus and watching a student take their first steps toward a trade.
Thank you for being in this with us.
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