That is what is going on now. One of my goals down here is to help people to create businesses. I believe there is a little bit of success. My good friend Valmy is selling some SD Memory cards. I got a pretty good deal on them in the states, I wholesale them to him and he retails them to his friends. Valmy is a very busy guy...he is in his terminal grade of school, he is an assistant teacher at The Pursuit of Happiness English Institute and he also works some crazy hours at the Jubilee Medical Clinic. Here he is showing off some of his SD cards.
Ruth-Cher Francoise is one of my English students. I found out that she enjoys gardening as much as I do, so after English lessons, she helps me work in my little garden in the yard. She has helped me find new flowers and plants and we have done some trading with her friends and family to help me diversify my garden. She has also shown me how to propagate many of the plants that I have. She is going to start selling some of the potted plants that we have grown from seed or cuttings. Here she is next to part of the garden.
Jean Phillipe Edmond is a carpenter that I met on my first trip to Haiti over a year ago. I was impressed with his skills and knowledge right away when he started working with me. We have become good friends, he helps me with any project I am working on, without asking for anything. I have helped him with contract work whenever I can. He has made many of my friends his happy customers with dressers, cabinets and tables. A couple of weeks ago he asked if he could borrow my skil saw, I am usually pretty reluctant to lend out tools, but I did for him. Turns out, he had a contract to make 30 chalkboards for a school. A week later he returned the saw to me and was very proud to show me the saw that he bought with his profits.
The Pursuit of Happiness English Institute started its second session yesterday. We have two full classes of Intro students and two almost full classes of level 1 students. Chris Greene has worked very hard building a budget and setting fees. We are less expensive than some English institutes, but we are on track to be sustainable through tuition and fees. We rent a school building in the afternoons, (From one of our students!) we pay our translators, we have the cost of the books and copies figured into the student fees. The only thing that is not sustainable is that Chris and I teach for free...but we don't mind! The benefits are great!
We are making some great friendships with our students. These young men and women are the next leaders of Haiti, and we are blessed to be a part of their lives.
Grace Deal (onewaytickettohaiti.blogspot.com) has been back in the states for the birth of her neice, and I have the pleasure of taking care of this little guy. This is her Rott...his name is Tortuga or Tug! He is a lot of fun, I am going to miss him when she gets back. She is trying to talk me into getting one...then everyone will want puppies! I think I am going to wait until I have my own place before I get a dog.
My own place? Yep. Part of my plan down here is to set up a school of my own. The English Institute was never a part of the original plan, but you can bet it is a part of the latest one. My dream is to have a trade school where I can teach carpentry, plumbing, electrical work and whatever else I can. I also would like to host people from the states that could share their knowledge for short intensive classes. Anything from wrenching on cars to sewing a suit...whatever you know and do well, come here for a few weeks and share that with some of my friends.
My sister, Renee, is working through the final stages of setting up a not for profit to handle fundraising and accounting from the US. I am looking for some land in or near Gonaives for this school to be built. I am so excited for the potential that is in everyone here that I meet. I hope to share that excitement with you when you come to visit my school, and meet the students for yourself.
I am very excited to see my Father here at the end of the month!
God bless you all.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
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