A few of our 200 children in Basfrontal

A few of the 438 children at our Belo location

This school is in need of sponsors. Can you help?

Back home Oct. 29th/08

Just a short note to say that I arrived back in the Hat this morning. Jules and her team arrived back home early this morning in Chilliwack and Henry with his team will be back home in Winkler tonight. I will have a report to follow in the next couple days with more pictures, especially of the Basfront and Belo children. So much was accomplished in the month that we were there. Thank you to each of the team members that were with me in Haiti. Bob & Linda

View of Jacmel while coming out of the mountains today

This is a view of Jacmel and the hotel we stay in is pink near the center of the picture. We are packing up tonight getting ready for out trip home tomorrow. Henry and his family will be arriving in Winkler on the 28th. Everyone is excited about going home but are torn about leaving as the people has made our stay such an enjoyable one. We are looking forward to a return trip.

Belo, a school within 10 miles of our Basfrontal school

There are 438 children attending this school that has lost support from the States. The children don't get fed and the teachers do not get paid. They only have a few books.

Basfrontal School

A wild ride on a dirt bike got me into Basfrontal today. The roads are still closed and looks like it will be some time before trucks will be able to get in. All the children are doing great. We have 200 children at this location this year. We are hoping to build them a new school in the next couple of years..

More of the beauty of the country of Haiti

Deep gorge cut into the valley from the massive run off from the hurricanes.
As we climbed higher into the mountains towards Thiotte we came into a forest where the temperature was a cool +15C. This is the coldest temperature I have ever experience in Haiti. We were at about the 5000 ft. level.

Pictures as travelling through the country

As we were traveling to Thiotte we drove close to the Dominican.
It was about 7 hrs. of driving through some breathtaking regions.

Emergency fund saves lives.

Early this morning we heard of a very bad accident that included Linia's mother. A tap-tap she was riding in roled and many were hospitalized. Some had lost fingers, one lot an ear, others with deep wounds and broken bones. We went to the hospital where we found the people had no money to purchase the drugs or shots they would need to survive. There is also Dr.'s bills and costs for casts and other bandages. We were able to help these poor people with some of the funds we have in our emergency fund to help in hurricane relief and other emergencies. We are happy to report that there were no deaths resulting from this tragic accident.

Jules, Jade, Kris & Interperter Linia return from Savanette

The girls had a wonderful time at our Savanette school. There are nearly 300 children attending this remote mountain school. This was a first for the region to have white people stay there overnight.

Picture of widow and her children in Basin Orange.

We were hoping to go to Basin Orange to help rebuild the home you see with the family at the top of the page. The hurricane destroyed all the grass homes and the grass they use to build their homes. This family is living with the family of one of our employees and we are helping feed them. Maybe next trip in we will be able to rebuild for this widow and her children. Because of the roads still washed out from the hurricanes we are still unable to get into many of the areas we would like to go. We still haven't been able to get into an area where two of our schools are located.

Corner store set up with micro loan

This is another example of the success of the mirco loan program. We are wanting to help even more so they can have more product to sell. They pay back on a monthly bases with anywhere from 12 to 20 months. pay back. You can direct a donation to help in this area. I would love to see hundreds of these business set up. We have a long waiting list.

Nov.24/08 Micro loans making difference

One of the 26 business we have helped to set up is a tree nursery. Hector is able to hire anywhere from 4 to 10 employees as a result. More is need to help him expand. He has to turn down many orders as he doesn't have all the plants needed. All our micro loans with all the business have all paid on time and are doing great. We need to expand on this. This is making a huge difference...

Nov.23/08 Update

Each day has it's surprises but all works out for His glory. On our way to Savonette on the 22nd we stopped at a location called Carrefour Raymond where we visited a location that has a building made out of slats were 150 children attend a school where the teachers do not get paid, the children don't get fed or clean drinking water, they have very few books. They are in desperate need of help. Even if we could give partial salaries to the teachers and feed the children each day would be a huge help.
Perhaps you, your church or company could take on this project. Six hundred per month would make a huge difference for this school.
The drive towards Savonette realy gave us a look at the power of the water that came out of the mountains during the hurricanes. We were not able to get anywhere near where we use to be able to drive before our walk up to Savonette. I cannot see how they can ever have a passable road to this area again. It added another hour to our walk in. We met 300 of the children as they came walking towards us singing songs as we got close to their school. They are so happy. Jules, Jade, & Kris are staying up there for the next couple of days gathering information on each of the students and getting updated pictures.
On the way in we met a lady that lives in a village before we turn into the mountains. She had lost everything as a result of the hurricanes. Her story is that she had a bakery and a home that was destroyed in the hurricanes. She is now widowed with 15 children and has nothing to feed them. We come across story after story like this all throughout the island. We were able to give her enough to feed her family for the next month but there is so much more we would love to be able to do to make a difference.
There are still several of our schools we are not able to get to because of the roads being washed out. We hope to get to a couple of them on Monday as we have borrowed a quad and a dirt bike to get in. It will depend if we can cross the river first.
Henry's family will be painting in Chabin, Marcus will be working on the computers and I will be working with our bookkeeping staff for the next couple of days.
Thanks to each of you for your prayers and financial support. Bob & Linda

Hike to the Savonette school

This is the terrain we will be hiking through to get to the Savonette school.

Update Last few days and today

It is hard to believe how fast the time is going. Everyday has been jammed with activities. Sunday was amazing with giving out gifts that were sent over with the teams. Pastor Placide, Jules, Jade, Kris, Marcus and myself left early Monday for a 7 hr. grueling drive to Thiotte to photo each of the 300 children we have attending this school. We were able to collect the information and photo all the children in record time getting us back to Jacmel before supper on Tuesday. I experienced my coldest tempertures of any time in Haiti while going through the mountains at +15 C.
Most of the Winkler team flew back on Tuesday. We will miss them. They were a huge help with painting logo's, Kathy, Henry directing this and painting of the schools, part of the team building homes that were devestated from the hurricanes and much more.
Jules, Jade, Kris along with their interpreter Linia will be staying in Savonette for the next three days. This is a mountain school where we drive for just under two hours and then walk up to the school which takes about an hour and a half. They will return with our teachers on Friday as we come back to continue the painting and a couple of days with accounting. There is still so much work to be done. We are in a huge need to find more support as the Canadian dollar dropping in value and some supporters experiencing difficulties. For example as we budge here in U.S. dollars with the difference in exchange it has added an additional $140,000. to raise to make up the difference.
Please if you have any contacts with service clubs, churches or businesses, that you could arrange for me to share at, please let me know.

Thiotte school

We are only able to help 300 children at Thiotte this year. More funding is needed to take on more children. We have room for expansion with a second level in the future. Most of the Winkler team left today for home. Henry, Rebecca, Tim & Marcus will be leaving with us next Tuesday for Canada.

Part of team went with me to Thiotte where we have 300 children attending

We have finished the school in Thiotte with some desks still being built. Uniforms will be arriving from our sewing team in Jacmel next week.

Lots of clothing for children

Giving cloths, shoes and other supplies to the people of Chabin on Sunday

Start of the change with the color going on the school

Transformation as the color is being applied to the schools in Chabin. Everyone is doing great. We are missing Claude and Valarie.

Lifeline Logo at entrance into property at Chabin

Awesome job Henry and Kathy!! Under logo is Creole "helping the children"
Henry up on the roof of the school with his spray gun.

Happy to have a roof over their head!!

Families so happy to get a roof over their heads. Your support has made this possible. Thank you!!

Team constructing another home!

Making a difference, one family at a time. Team constructing another home.

Adopt a project details

These precious children and hundreds of others are waiting to attend school this year but we need your help. To adopt a project or portions of a project see list of costs below. We have five additional schools in desperate need of support and without your help they will not be able to attend school.

Costs per school based on 150 children per school...........

Materials and labor to build desks and tables per school ........... $1,300.00/yr.

All the school books for each school................................ $800.00/yr.

Food for the year per school or you can break it down per mon........$11,215.00

Teachers salaries based on 6 teachers per school for the year....... $6,485.00/yr.

Rent for building .................................................. $2100.00/yr.

Cooks salary........................................................ $500.00/yr.

Uniforms........................................................... $3,000.00

Cost per month..................................................... $2,108.66


Cost per year per school .......................................... $25,304.25

Please drop me a note if you can help in any one or all of these needs. E-mail address .......... lifelinehaiti@gmail.com

Bob & Linda
Lifeline Haiti

Adopt a project (see details on other entry)

Some of the team riding on top of our tap tap.

The guys fastened the metal so the roof won't come off without lifting the foundation.

Team helping with reconstruction of homes devestated from the hurricanes.

Inside of schools finished

Update Oct. 17th/08

Today Pastor Claude and his daughter Val left for back home. They flew out of Jacmel to Chabin on a mission airline charter. Today the teams are involved in helping repair homes that were destroyed during the hurricanes and continuing painting the Chabin school and logo's for Lifeline Haiti. The inside of the schools and kitchen are completed with the start of the outside of the buildings. It looks awesome. There is an all english service which we have at our Jacmel each Friday where the Winkler team will be singing and Henry will be bringing forward the word. Everyone is doing great, missing home but enjoying the time with the Haitian people. Time is going by to fast as our days are very full. We will be distributing all the cloths and things that were sent from Canada on Sunday afternoon at our Chabin location. Thank you to each of you that have been able to send financial support.

Along with the chicken farm we would set up a fish farm.

Our hope is to have something like this set up for the future in helping feed the children.

All the 425 children outside at Chabin with full view of all the schools.

Flying into Chabin

Team painting logo on side of our water truck

Samaritan Air Minstries took us for a flight over our Chabin location

The end of the trail to Bassin Blue

View of where we came from on our hike half way up.

Painting make real difference

Flight over our Chabin schools

Hike to Bassin Blue to check out school and pool & waterfalls.