Thursday, October 14, 2010

A busy week on the mountain!

Monday there was an organizational training for general knowledge based from the book “Leading from your Spiritual Center” Pastor Frank (a Haitian/ American) who is serving down here for one month led the class. Then on Tuesday we had an English class. This was a lot of fun and the Haitians are all very energized about learning English. This is something I hope to continue after Frank leaves. Although I keep telling them I know how to speak English but not how to teach it. However many of them know all the rules of English, they just need the proper pronunciation and some examples and tools.
On Tuesday afternoon and most of the day on Wednesday and Thursday; I worked with the artisans on making journals. They make journals out of recycled cement bags. The process involves cutting the bags apart and then washing them. After laying out in the sun to dry, they are cut into the exact dimensions for the journals. Then they wipe down the paper and count up the bundles, drill holes in the centers, where they are to be sowed together. Then they bound three of those together and tape them.. The journals were in stacks underneath boards and cinder blocks so they are nice, smooth pages for the journals, ready to be finished off in the US.
I showed some ot the ladies how to make babies hats using a loom I brought from the United States, just as we use to make with our Hookin for Jesus group with CoffeeLoft.org. They were very excited because usually it takes a day to make a hat and I made 2 this morning while I was there.
I continue to discover more products they have been made and am working on ways they can improve upon them to sell them in the US market and in Haiti. Next week I will meet with the women who are starting a jewelry business to show them some samples that I have and also work with what they know and have already been doing. Hopefully we will have some of those jewelry products for Christmas.

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