Author Archives: admin

The School 20 foundation pour was a success. Under the leadership of Paul, our ace schools project director and a great guy to boot, we cranked out a full, smooth foundation in one day. Actually, it was under one day! … Continue reading →

A spectator at the School 20 foundation pour today. He was cool as a cucumber, resting on his bicycle, watching the workers, wearing these Groucho Marx glasses as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Today is Chris’ birthday. (Thanks, Facebook) It seems fitting that on this day, 66 of us are going out to pour the foundation for School 20, All Hands’ last planned school. This is the biggest foundation pour crew assembled yet. … Continue reading →

James, a baby-faced Haitian teenager, has been helping us build School 18. At each of our school sites, All Hands requests certain things from the community – this secures some buy-in from the community and encourages them to take ownership … Continue reading →

In Haiti, anything that differs from the ordinary is cause for excitement. As such, every work project draws spectators, often including a large number of kids. Since many Haitians can’t afford to send their children to school — almost every … Continue reading →

By and large, Haitians don’t keep dogs as pets. Dogs are viewed as nuisances, not companions. They’re a common sight in urban areas, where humans ignore them as they roam the streets and dig through trash piles for scraps. Many … Continue reading →

While walking downtown with a friend today, a truck carrying water drove by. As it bounced down the unpaved street, it played a loud music box-type song. Its similarity to the music American ice cream trucks play to attract young … Continue reading →

I’ve spent the last few days working on rendering the exterior walls of School 18. We hope to have the building painted and cleaned by Friday. These four kids are currently attending class next door, but will move into the … Continue reading →

On the ride home from work at School 18 Thursday afternoon, my work group encountered a small manifestation. About 10 minutes into our half-hour ride back to downtown Leogane, a U.N. truck being driven by Sri Lankans – most of … Continue reading →

When I first landed in Haiti in June of 2010, I remember being overwhelmed by an awful smell — something I later identified as a mix of burning trash, car exhaust, waste and stagnant water. It’s omnipresent in urban areas. … Continue reading →