7 May 2010: I’m perched on a ledge at L’Ecole Frere Clement, one of the schools Plan is supporting in Jacmel, in the South East region of Haiti.  It’s almost noon which means one of the schools using the site is ending classes for the day, and another school will begin in the afternoon. 

Children stream past me in uniforms of blue check or yellow and green, depending on what school they are enrolled in, alternately yelling “bonjour!” or waving shyly; a few bolder ones call out “blan!”  Regardless of their level of French or English, almost all of them smile broadly when passing by trying to figure out what I’m doing there.

Replacing tent classrooms

Today is an exciting day because we are starting construction of the transitional structures that will eventually replace the temporary tents and sunshades Plan has been erecting to serve as temporary classrooms.  Our transitional classrooms are more durable and have been designed to hurricane and earthquake-proof standards.  With the hurricane season starting in June, it is all the more urgent that they are built as quickly as possible. 

Working in partnership with the Ministry of Education (which has approved Plan’s school design) we have identified sites at which we’ll be building these classrooms, and our pilot building at Frere Clement will serve as a model for contractors to follow. 

Breaking ground

Work begins on the classrooms' foundations in Jacmel

Although it’s a scorching 95 degrees, there’s a nervous energy in the air, as the preparation and anticipation from the past month have finally resulted in “breaking ground” today. 

Already a crew at our makeshift wood shop is cutting and assembling the roof truss, and other workers are measuring and staking out the spots where additional classrooms will be built.

Expert support

Jack Ryan, the architect who produced the school design for Plan, is overseeing the project and working for the next 2 weeks with local builders in Jacmel, to ensure design specifications are followed and construction crews obtain the skills necessary to build the right way, to avoid reoccurrences of the destruction that followed the earthquake. 

Building materials include mostly wood, which is much more flexible yet sturdy in the event of natural disasters, and lightweight corrugated roofing painted white to minimise heat gain, with concrete being used only for the foundations of the school. 

Throughout the next few months, Plan will continue working with the Ministry, various schools, partner organisations, teachers, and parents to ensure children have safe and secure classrooms in which to learn, play, and be kids again.

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