Haiti Project (Haiti 2001, 2002)
In Haiti we continue to support Lena Ambroise and her six children with housing and education. The Foundation also supports the Clean Water for Haiti effort initiated by Tal and Adele Woosley. The Woosleys have set up a micro-business teaching Haitians to build BioSand Concrete Filters. (These are filters developed by Dr. Manz from the University of Calgary, Davnor Water Treatment Technologies Ltd., and Camille Dow Baker from Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology [CAWST]). The filters cost $50 CDN and ensure potable water.

In August of 2002, Mary Tidlund traveled to Haiti to review the ongoing water and education projects. Tal and Adele Woosley with Clean Water for Haiti hosted the visit. The building of the BioSand Concrete Water Filters is located on Tal and Adele's property outside of St. Marc. Toni, a local Haitian who works with Tal and Adele, was busy building filters while the welders were busy building the molds for them.

During that trip Mary assisted in the securing of a home for the Ambroise family. We purchased beds, linen, kitchen and food supplies to assist in starting the family off in their new home. A successful hernia operation was funded for the young boy Richardo who had suffered pain due to a large hernia. Medical treatment was also provided for the other three children in the family. The Foundation will support the annual education fees for the children to attend school and the rental of the home. In September, 2002, John, Theresa Carruthers and family had a Haiti fundraiser in which family and friends raised approximately $30,000 towards the support of the Ambroise family. In addition funds were raised and donated to Clean Water for Haiti. The funds were used to purchase 8 molds in the training program set up by Tal and Adele. Tal and Adele give training for the manufacturing, installation of water filters, and the associated micro-enterprise. Special thanks to the Carruthers family and our many sponsors and donors that supported the fundraiser which enabled us to make this all happen.

Mary Tidlund met with the two boys whose education is sponsored by the foundation. Their report cards and progress was reviewed. All in all, they are progressing well.
 
In May 2001, Mary Tidlund was invited to join a group traveling to Haiti organized by Michael Duggan and Val Laforce with Julie, John, Jared, Jess, Rachel and travelling with us.

Prior to leaving we learned how to build concrete water filters that could be installed and used in a home. The purpose of the concrete water filters is to remove parasites, coliform and bacteria from drinking water.
Shown are (l-r) John, Julie, Mary, Val, Michael, Jess, Rachel, Gerred, Gertrude (guest house manager) & Tom
  
 

Water filtration unit.
The course was given by Davnor Water Treatment Technologies in Calgary,Alberta. The units are presently made in Deschapelles, Haiti at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital which we visited. Four plastic water filtration units were installed in various homes as the introduction to the filtration process.

We also collected medical and educational materials, clothing and soccer balls which we distributed to the Port-au-Prince, Haiti orphanages (Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul), schools (Becky DeWine Center in Cite Soleil and hospitals ( San Fils) we visited and worked in.
  
 
The foundation is currently setting up an educational program to support education for street kids in Haiti through Michael Brewer who lives and supports 50 street kids in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The group took the street kids in two Tap Taps, the local transportation, to the beach for the day. It was a wonderful experience for all as many of the kids had never left the city of Port-au-Prince.
Water filtration units were
put into homes
  
 
Two girls in Port-Au-Prince
peeking through a brick in the school wall.
In May 2002 Michael Duggan and John Carruthers traveled to Haiti and supported the water filtration project. It is the Foundation's intent to assist in the organization and development of the water project. John and Teresa Carruthers and their family adopted twin girls from Haiti last year.
 
John was successful during the Haiti trip in finding and meeting the impoverished family of the twins. The Foundation will assist John and Teresa in the support of twins family and will also provide further funding for the education of additional boys and girls in Haiti. In 2001, one of street boys whom we sponsored wrote the Foundation and was very pleased that he had achieved the top marks in his classes by the end of the school term.

Haitian street kids visited the beach
which was 3 hours away
  
 
Gja and Ron taught us about Haitian charity and provided an orientation session.
The Foundation has been asked to organize a clinic on the north coast of Haiti. We plan to operate it in the future. Mary Tidlund will be travelling to Haiti in summer 2002 to further establish the education and water projects.

Thank you Michael Duggan and Val LaForce for the introduction to Haiti.