All God’s Children Orphanage
Bathroom Remodel: March 2020
The Need
A major remodel of orphanage bathrooms
How we helped
Built a large elevated tower for water tanks to supply water pressure
We designed and built a large elevated tower to hold water tanks.
These tanks then supply water pressure by gravity - even when there is no electricity.
Fourteen years ago, this month, I met a group of 28 kids in a one-room building that was used for sleeping, eating, and school. This was the beginning of what would become All God’s Children Orphanage, outside of Mirebalais, Haiti.
Many generous people and churches helped build the structure that is now home to more than 160 children. Over the past 12 years, understandably, the orphanage bathrooms have experienced heavy use and have been in need of a major remodel. Nearly every day, as I use my own sink and shower or flush my toilet, I think of what might be happening at the orphanage. I often think of the young girls trying to manage their teenage years with a very difficult bathroom situation.
I wrote about this bathroom remodel dream two years ago here and now we’re excited to say that the orphanage bathroom remodel is finished! All thanks to God! He brought together generous donors, hard-working Haitian construction talent, and an exceptional group of team-members who traveled with me a few weeks ago (early March) to complete the work.
When the electricity service is up and running, it only supplies electricity for 6-10 hours a day. The existing water supply only provides water when the electricity is on. This means no sinks, no showers, and no flushing toilets – during the many hours (and sometimes many days) without electricity.
Therefore, we designed and built a large elevated tower to hold water tanks. These tanks then supply water pressure by gravity – even when there is no electricity. Now that the project is complete, the kids have sinks and showers and toilets that flush, 24 hours a day. We designed the boys bathroom to have 2 urinals and 1 toilet that run from the gravity pressure and the girls have 2 toilets that run from the gravity pressure.
February 18, 2021 Update
We will be installing a commercial grade liquid membrane overlay roofing system, at the Deaf Kid’s dorm.
For many of us in the United States, the word “orphanage” conjures up images of children who have been abandoned, for one reason or another, by their parents. But the All God’s Children Orphanage near Mirebalais is so much more than what we traditionally imagine – and it’s helping transform the lives of the children who live there.
Many of the children at the orphanage have at least one living parent, but they came to the orphanage because of the parent’s economic situation – and to get an education. As painful as it may be to leave their children, the parents know that an education can give their children hope for a better future. The children are also taught the Bible and how to live for Christ.
Deaf children, in the U.S., have many opportunities and resources available to them. This is not the case in Haiti, and deaf kids in Haiti are often overlooked and neglected. Our ministry partners at GVCM have built a special home and school for these precious kids, where they have support and love and education that meets their needs.
Back in 2015, the roof at the Deaf Kids dorm had bad termite damage and was leaking. Rats were living in the rotten ceiling insulation. It was a critical situation. Many friends stepped up and provided the funds, and a group of dedicated volunteers traveled to Haiti to remove and replace the roof. The team also expanded the roof to provide extra shade for the laundry area.
That roof is now 6 years old. It is still in good shape – but showing some age. You may or may not know that for my real job (my money-making job) – I work with a great company for Christian men and women and we specialize in residential and commercial roofing. We install many commercial grade liquid membrane overlay roofing systems. Or better understood as silicone coatings.
We will be installing this commercial grade liquid membrane overlay roofing system, at the Deaf Kid’s dorm. This coating system will extend the life of the existing roof by 25-35 years; and the white silicone coating will dramatically reduce the heat transfer into the building. I’ve dreamed about using these coatings in Haiti for a long time. And I’m very excited to see how much more life we get out of the roof system at the Deaf Kid’s dorm and how the coating will reduce the heat for these precious kids.
The coating materials are shipping to Haiti this week – and we have a team traveling to Haiti to install in March. We are looking for partners who will help us cover the cost of the $9,000 liquid membrane roof upgrade that will extend the life of the Deaf Kid’s dorm and reduce the heat inside the building for the kids, as they sleep. If you have questions, please contact me anytime. Thanks for your continued partnership to bring hope to our friends in Haiti.