The building site; taking down the wall next to the main clinic
After: Manager Benoit Florestal in the new building
The Lamp is very pleased to announce the completion of a new two-room addition to our mini campus in Bwa Nèf, Cité Soleil. It is a great step forward in more ways than one. To begin with, the building has tremendous symbolic value — it represents our whole-hearted commitment to this community in a way that words cannot. The building was constructed entirely with local labor and even local materials to the extent possible. The beautiful logo was designed and completed by a local artist, using the hammered oil drums that Haiti’s artists are so famous for. The community has participated in this expansion very directly.
The building also allows us to provide new and enhanced services. Starting this month, the room on the left will be the new home for our women’s clinic. Check this website in a few weeks for photos of the launch! The room on the right will house our radiology facility. The new digital x-ray machine has just arrived in Haiti this week. It will be at the clinic very soon.
The construction of the building has also allowed us to create a little island of security for our patients and staff. As the picture shows, we have created a walled courtyard that now contains the new building, our lab and the main clinic. Bwa Nèf is often beset by episodes of violence or unrest. This new arrangement allows all of our work to take place in an atmosphere of calm and security.
But we have more to do! We are currently hiring local labor once again, to build a large roofed structure that will serve as the primary seating area for our patients. We are also, once again, stretching our budget as far as it will go, but we have faith that our well-wishers will rally to the cause. This is ground level work and we need to press forward.
