April 01, 2008

Dear Friends and Supporters of Clean Water for Haiti:

Last month seemed to fly by! The mission has been a hub of activity and Chris and I have been trying to make sure we stay grounded in the midst of all of it. It would be very easy to get stressed out I think.

As we shared last month we have a big dorm re-build project and we were just getting started. The building has since been leveled and we've made some headway with it. We’re working with an engineer friend, Otto, who helped Chris redesign the filter mold several years ago. Otto likes to volunteer his time and skills to help organizations like ours and he’s been instrumental in this project. The plans are all now finalized and we started digging the new foundation about two weeks ago. We were hoping to be able to use the existing foundation from the old building, but once we dug down we found it wouldn't be strong enough to support a second level, so we've dug the new foundation right around it. Normally in Haiti they use large rocks and cement to build a foundation but we’re going to be using crushed rock, cement and rebar. Yes, it’s a bit North American of us but we all know it’s going to mean a stronger building.

If I was to tell you that we haven't had any set backs in the project I would be lying. As anything here, you sort of have to expect that things go wrong. It’s much less disappointing when they do. This week we were supposed to be pouring the foundation for the building, but we haven't gotten there yet. Let me see if I can give you a nut shell re-cap of the events that took place here in a two day period.

On Monday the new truck got a hole in the oil pan while being moved up onto the old dorm floor to dump a load of crushed rock. We had planned several trips that day for rock, but instead the truck was hoisted up on jacks so the oil pan could be fixed. Later that afternoon, after everyone had left for the day, it started to rain. Usually rain is good, and this one started out that way, but by around 7 PM the entire yard, save a few high spots, was under about 5 inches of moving water. We’re the last point before the ocean, so everything flows down from our neighbors. About an hour later we lost power in the house. After investigating Chris realized there was a short in the underground wiring and all the water was causing the breaker to trip. It would keep tripping so we just turned off the power, lit candles and hunkered down for the night.

Water moving through the yard during a smaller rain later in the week.

The next morning we woke up to a yard full of mud (at least an inch in most places), the foundation trenches full of water, and no power. Chris had two of the guys start digging up the power lines. Another was sent to Port au Prince to buy new ones. Jean went to work pumping water out of the trenches and the other guys got busy digging up the mud in the work yard so they could still build filters later in the day. At the end of the day the power was fixed, the guys were back to work in the work yard, the foundation trenches were drying out and the oil pan had been put back together, but the truck was still stuck up on the old building because the ground was still too wet to move it.

Yep, welcome to life in Haiti! Nothing is ever boring here and it often means we need to be very, very flexible. It’s hard to be patient at times, especially with such a big project. I think Chris and I both feel frustrated because it seems we've just been tearing down. It'll be nice to actually start building.

 

 Finally! We start pouring the foundation.

The main reason that we’re under pressure to get the building going is that we have a new volunteer coming to work with us at the beginning of June, and we'd like to have a place for him to live. Matt is from the US and contacted us last year to see if there was a possibility of coming to work with the mission. He has an engineering background and has worked in the corporate world, but his heart is really to be using his skills in the mission field. Chris was having problems sleeping the night that we got Matt’s application and he was so impressed by it that he felt he had to wake me up and tell me. The next morning when I read through it I could understand why. We have had plenty of people apply to join our staff, but for one reason or another none of them seemed to be a good fit. Matt has so many of the qualities that we’re looking for and we’re very excited that he'll be joining us long term. Please be praying for him as he prepares over the coming months and transitions to life here. We would appreciate prayer as well that the transition on our end will go smoothly as it’s just been Chris and I for the last two years and it'll be an adjustment to have someone else here. We want Matt to feel that he’s a valuable member of our team.

In other mission news, Chris has been up to a little something and I'm very proud of him. Several years ago Chris redesigned the filter mold to produce a smaller, lighter filter that still had the same filtering capacity. It was such a success that this mold is now used world wide in the Biosand filter community. Last summer Otto, the engineer helping us with the dorms, let us know that he was looking at ways of eliminating the larger gravel layer in the filter as it was just there to stop the small gravel from blocking the tube opening that the water passes through. After playing around with a few things Chris and Jean discovered that drilling small holes in the polyethylene tubing would allow the water to pass through and the blocking of the end opening wouldn't be a problem. It also helped give a better flow rate to the filter, meaning it worked more efficiently.

With the eliminated layer of gravel we had to put extra sand in the filter to make up the difference in space inside so the filter would still function properly. Realizing that it wasn't a good use of materials Chris contacted CAWST and found that we were way over the minimum amount of sand needed for the filter to function. Because we were ready to start welding molds again Chris decided it was time for another redesign. The new mold is four inches shorter than the old one and 25 lbs lighter. It means that there will be less materials need for each filter, and the new size and weight will make it easier to transport. Also, the new welder makes fabricating the new molds much easier as the welds can be done on the inside, rather than the outside where they need to be ground down. With the old molds we would end up breaking several filters while we perfected a new mold. The first filter that we poured in the newly redesigned mold popped out without a flaw!

 

The very first filter from the new mold.

It’s exciting to not only see how much life change happens through the filters in our own local area, but to also know that we have the facilities and resources available to help improve other projects around the world. The impact is great. Thank you for continuing to support the work we’re doing here. It’s very encouraging to us.

In family news I'm glad to report that Olivia is growing very fast! Almost too fast it feels. She’s turning into a chubby little thing from what she was when we brought her home at only 5.5 lbs. On Good Friday when our pediatrician friend checked her out she toppled the scales at a hefty 9lbs 14oz! She almost doubled her body weight in 6 weeks. She’s a really happy baby and in the past few weeks she figured out how to work her face and realized that Mom and Dad love smiles, so we get plenty of them. She’s also started chatting with us which is so fun. I always wonder what she’s trying to tell me because her facial expressions look like she’s really having a conversation with me. We love being parents and are so in love with this little charmer. We feel very blessed that God put her in our lives.

Olivia being her happy little self.

Well, I think that’s all the news from here. We hope this finds you well and enjoying the first bits of spring. We'll look forward to updating you next month and as always we hope you know that we could not be doing this without your support. Thank you a hundred times over.

 

Many blessings,

Chris & Leslie Rolling

Executive Directors

Contact Us In Haiti:

Chris – info@cleanwaterforhaiti.org

Leslie – office@cleanwaterforhaiti.org

Phone: (intn’l code)+ 509-547-3210