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Composting Toilet Progress

We have started the Composting Toilet Project in the Jubilee Blanc neighborhood of Gonaïves, Haiti and have gotten about half-way through what needs to be done. Working with a Haitian construction crew, we now have the foundation and barrel enclosure finished. Next up, the concrete floor of the stalls, toilet bowl, and privacy enclosure need to be completed.

Why a toilet?
The village of Jubilee has no real sanitation facilities to speak of. There are a few private outhouses in this village, but nothing that is public and accessible to all who live there. There is no running water or sewage system in any of the modest houses and huts that comprise the village, so people go far out into the field behind the houses to relieve themselves. The problem with this is that many of the villagers, including very malnourished children, go shoeless in this same area. Parasites such as hookworms, present in areas with open defecation, enter the body through the soles of the feet and can rob an already malnourished child of 20% of his nutrients. The idea behind the toilet project is to offer people an alternative to open defecation which will make their living area more sanitary and improve the health of the whole community. Working with Haitian construction crews gives us the opportunity to pass the toilet design and goals of the project onto local people who can then replicate it as needed.

What’s a “composting” toilet?
A composting toilet, or “dry toilet,” is similar to a traditional outhouse with the exception that a dry toilet separates liquid waste from solid waste with the goal of eventually using both as fertilizer. In the design we have chosen for this project, solid waste will be contained in large barrels under the floor, and can be swapped out once the barrel has reached its capacity. Full barrels are placed in the sun to compost, and after a few months at a steady high temperature, become safe, fertile soil. The toilet will never become “full” and need to be closed down or abandoned. Liquid waste, with its high nitrogen content, can be used as fertilizer immediately. Fertile soil is especially precious in Jubilee, where the land the village sits on is salted and barren.

Check back for future updates on the toilet’s progress, and click on any of the photos below to see all of the progress pictures…

Laying the blocks for the foundation

Bringing supplies to the job site with the wheelbarrow

Helpers

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Thank You, Slater Sisters!

Sisters Liz and Susan Slater hand-sewed gingerbread dolls for the children of Haiti. On March 10th we handed them out to the children of Gonaïves…

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Composting Toilet begins!

We have landed safely in Haiti and have begun work on the composting toilet project. Today we have a hole and foundation completed!

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Gingerbread Dolls for Haiti!

One Hundred Gingerbread Dolls Hand-sewn by Elizabeth and Susan Slater

For This One has just received the most beautiful, thoughtful gift from two teachers in South Jersey.  One hundred hand-sewn gingerbread dolls for the children of Haiti! We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Elizabeth and Susan Slater for their hard work and enormous hearts. The dolls will be traveling with us this coming August where we will personally distribute them to Haiti’s little ones. Thank you! If you would like to read more about the Slater sisters’ project, the Downbeach Current newspaper wrote an article about them titled Ventnor sisters bring a thread of hope to Haiti

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Haiti Donation Shipment

We have dropped off and consolidated all remaining donated items for shipment to Haiti!  Items will be palletized and shipped to the Miami HQ of Fr. Rick Frechette’s organization,  NPH International, where it will then be shipped to Haiti.  Fr. Frechette runs St. Damien, the only free pediatric hospital in Haiti.  For This One would like to express our immense gratitude to everyone at Transaction Publishers, publisher of Fr. Frechette’s wonderful book Haiti: The God of Tough Places, the Lord of Burnt Men, for providing us with warehouse and shipping facilities and making the connection with Fr. Frechette’s organization possible.

We would also like thank Retro Fitness in North Brunswick, NJ for running the medical equipment drive and Weekstown Community Church for their wonderful generosity in collecting crutches, walkers, canes  and other medical equipment to send to the people of Haiti.  Thank You!

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Haiti Talk and Photo Presentation at the East Brunswick Library

For those of you in the New Jersey area:

On Tuesday, May 18th, we will be giving a presentation about our trip to Haiti at the East Brunswick Public Library where we will be sharing stories and pictures from our trip in March. Attendance is free and open to the public. Presentation starts at 7:30PM and we would love to see you there!


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James does his Algebra: Port au Prince, Haiti

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Medical Equipment Collection

We dropped off the first pallet’s worth of medical equipment to Transaction Publishers‘ warehouse today where it will be palletized and shipped to Haiti.

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May 6th Sentinel Newspaper Article and Retro Fitness Medical Supply Drive

Jennifer Amato, editor of the North Brunswick and South Brunswick Sentinel, found us after she learned of the medical supply drive we are currently running in conjunction with Retro Fitness in North Brunswick.  Retro Fitness North Brunswick owner, Bill Iovino, graciously donated space at his gym to be used as a drop off site for both his members and the public to donate medical supplies to be shipped to Haiti.

We met with Jennifer and spent almost 2 hours discussing our organization, the work we have done since the earthquake on January 12th, and our future projects and plans.  We know Jennifer is a very busy person and we truly appreciate her willingness to spend so much time with us and to put together such a great article!

To read the online version of the article, please go to: http://nbs.gmnews.com/news/2010-05-06/Front_Page/Young_and_old_still_need_help_in_Haiti.html

For This One Article in The Sentinel on May 6th 2010

We will continue to accept donations of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes, and similar medical devices at the North Brunswick Retro Fitness location through June 15th 2010.  For directions, please visit their website at: http://northbrunswicknj.retrofitness.net/Web/us/en/locationdetail.dhtml

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For This One's Haiti Tee in People Magazine Blog

Our wonderful friends at Tiny Revolutionary have been featured in the People Magazine Blog this week for their outstanding organic cotton message tees for kids.  For This One and the Haiti Giving Tee are prominently mentioned.  Thanks, Tiny Rev and congrats on the well-deserved spotlight:

Read the People Magazine Post

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Our Next Haiti Trip

For This One is finalizing plans for our next trip to Haiti, in August of this year! Our team will be staying in Gonaives, Haiti where we will lend a hand in a newly established school, and aid public sanitation by building a composting toilet. We can’t wait to go….

(photos of the school generously provided by Doreen Sigman)

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