Aid to Infrastructure Blog

2025 Year in Pictures

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 20:50:32 GMT

2025 Wilmington College Global Issues Class Discussion

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:25:16 GMT

2025 Wilmington College Class Discussion
Global Issues

Hurricane Melissa Aftermath

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 16:49:13 GMT

Hurricane Melissa ~ 28 Oct 2025

Update as of 22 Nov 2025

Thank you to a generous supporter in Nashville for funding the repair of our roofs and doors! We still have some recovery to do! Please consider helping out if you can. ♥

Damage Assessment

If repair to hurricane damage is less than $3,000, I consider it a win. At the writing of this post, we're looking at $2,500 to repair the roofs and doors to the school building, kitchen, and latrines. These numbers include labor for the contractor that we use for this type of work. The contractor had a lot of damage to his home, too, so the wages he earns will help him recover, as well.

↓ This need has been met! Thank you to Nashville! ↓

Update as of 9 Nov 2025

A lot of water entered the school and damaged pretty much all the paper materials. We had just purchased a lot of materials to start the school year; but we had not used up our budget yet. I'm a little glad that I was slow to send the money because now we have a little to help in the recovery! I know a water cistern was blown down from a roof, but I'm not sure if we will need to replace it.

There is good news: the food cabinet did its job in protecting the food for school lunches. Thank you, Lord!

Because of a landslide under part of Samuel's house, he has damage to his home. He is working with the contractor for an estimate to shore up the slope under his house and possibly build a protective wall.

Since the storm, Samuel's family has been staying with some other village families in the Piton Partnership house that is right behind the school. It is the newest building (2017) and probably the strongest. It tends to be where they go to ride out storms. In this case, it continues to be home base for a few families. Because of a landslide under part of Samuel's house, he has damage to his home. He is working with the contractor for an estimate to shore up the slope under his house and possibly build a protective wall.

Petit Goâve (petty gwav) is the town at the bottom of the mountain where Piton families have other family and where they go to conduct business, socialize, go to church, etc. It was the hardest hit by Melissa. According to the UN , 25 of the 43 confirmed dead (5Nov25) were in Petit Goâve. The town had knee-deep water in the streets for a few days after the storm. Samuel visited several families that he knows to provide a little financial assistance and food.

What Happened

The southern peninsula of Haiti was put on hurricane watch on Oct 22. The system began affecting Piton's weather the next day. He sent a picture of the skies to tell me they were receiving some wind and rain. It wasn't particularly concerning. But the system meandered around and picked up strength. A week later, it hit Jamaica and was large enough to affect our half of Haiti.

Looking at the online animations and simplified graphics, it was easy to think Haiti was out of danger. It takes images like the ones below to appreciate how enormous a weather system is and just how far out the winds reach. The winds that touched Haiti never went above tropical storm strength.

Below are pictures sent by Samuel of the aftermath. He is beginning to send damage assessments and, of course, cost of repairs. Thankfully, no one in the villages were hurt, despite some homes being severely damaged or fully destroyed.

Back in 2018 we constructed a little headquarters of sorts right behind the school on school property, by permission of the village. Samuel still calls it Kay ATI (ATI house). It's been a blessing to have that house because it is more sturdy than the homes of the villagers. Those that are in particular danger from high winds are taken to the ATI house for safe shelter.

Click below to see full size photos.

Summer School 2025

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 14:27:03 GMT

Summer Camp 2025

July & August

Enjoy these photos from summer camp!

Three Things 14 June 2025

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 13:21:14 GMT

14 June 2025
Three Things from Piton Partnership email

This is being shared in an imperfect way - Images from the actual email sent.

You can also download a PDF file with clickable links through the button below.

Links included in this email

Page 1

Logo: Home Page
" They have bible study... "

Page 2

Three Things 8 Mar 25

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 15:55:38 GMT

The Three Things for 8 Mar 25 email blast is embedded here. Since it was formatted for email, the photo spacing is wonky but all the links work. If you'd like to sign up for the Three Things semi-weekly email to view these communications in all their intended evenly-spaced glory, sign up below! Thanks for being here.

Links included in this document

2024 Annual Report

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 15:46:30 GMT

Piton Partnership's 2024 Annual Report

Happy New Year & Thank You!

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 15:31:38 GMT

We did it! The Matching Challenge was a success!

Below is the email sent to supporters on 31 Dec 2024.

Haitian-made Christmas Ornaments

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 17:54:32 GMT

Limited Supply! Adorn your tree with a little slice of Haiti. Painted and unpainted designs available.

Metal ornaments hand-hammered in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from steel drums.

This is the quintessential Haitian art form.

Haitian-made Christmas Wreath Auction

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 17:22:42 GMT

B egins Nov. 13 at 9am ET.

Ends Nov. 23 at 9pm ET.

On auction is a 22" metal wreath hand-hammered in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from a steel drum.

This is the quintessential Haitian art form.

News Coverage about Springfield, Ohio's Haitian population

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 18:06:59 GMT

This page will be updated.

The Haitian Times

Note: If these articles are paywalled for you, let me know at katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com and I'll get a copy to you.

Beyond the media circus, Part 2: Where federal government leaves void, others step in. In the absence of federal intervention, local employers and staffing firms fuel Springfield’s economic integration of immigrants, but challenges persist. 1 Oct 2024. Source: The Haitian Times .
Haitian diaspora groups sue Trump, Vance and others for $550 million over false claims targeting immigrants. The plaintiffs hope the lawsuit will expose a racially motivated conspiracy to harm Haitians and Haitian Americans and stop the spread of dangerous rhetoric. 29 Sept 2024. Source: The Haitian Times .
Beyond the media circus, Part 1: As Springfield sought aid, Haitians put down roots . A look at Haitians in the Midwest city beyond politicians’ nativism and racism tropes. 23 Sept. 2024. Source: The Haitian Times
Want to help Haitians in Springfield, Ohio? Here are some places to start. A live document with a growing list of ways to help Haitians in Ohio. 21 Sept. 2024. Source: The Haitian Times
B omb threats following false claims targeting Haitians continue to disrupt Springfield . Bomb threats for a second day shut down schools and municipal buildings in Springfield, Ohio, amid racist accusations against Haitian immigrants spread by Donald Trump. 14 Sept 2024. Source: The Haitian Times

The New York Times

Note: the links to NYT articles allows you to view them for free through an article-share feature of the paid subscription. If not, let me know at katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com and I'll get a .pdf copy to you.

Trump’s Derision of Haitians Goes Back Years. Former President Donald J. Trump’s false comments about pet-eating Haitian immigrants are the latest in a pattern of attacks against people from the Caribbean nation. 18 Sept 2024. Source: The New York Times
Opinion: I’m the Republican Governor of Ohio. Here Is the Truth About Springfield. 20 Sept 2024. Source: The New York Times
Threats Against Haitians Land at the Doorstep of The Haitian Times. Racist emails. Swatting. Intimidated sources. The Haitian Times has been receiving some of the same threats that it has been covering in Springfield, Ohio. 19 Sept 2024. Source: The New York Times
Ohio Woman Says She Regrets Sharing False Rumor About Haitians on Facebook . The woman has since deleted the post claiming that one of her Haitian neighbors might have taken a neighbor’s cat. 17 Sept 2024. Source: The New York Times

The Cincinnati Enquirer

'Nobody's eating cats. Nobody's eating dogs.' John Legend says Haitian immigrants deserve grace . Beautifully written piece by Springfield native John Legend. 12 Sept 2024. Source: Cincinnati.com

The Washington Post

The Haitians of Springfield, a Trump campaign target, brace for his presidency . 7 Nov 2024.

2024 Fall Newsletter

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 18:35:29 GMT

Tags: 2024 , newsletters , sponsorship , political unrest , ATI 10

Happy Autumn, y'all.

Enjoy our latest updates a page at a time here. You can also download a copy.

Wish to receive one in the mail? Let me know at katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com!
Sometimes we redact certain info for security reasons. Let us know if you'd like an unredacted copy.

Thanks for being here,

Click any page to enter full view mode. A .pdf may also be downloaded by clicking the button below.

Tags: 2023 , newsletters

2024 Wilmington College Global Issues Class Discussion

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:01:34 GMT

2024 Class Discussion
Global Issues - Michael Snarr

Imagine This

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 16:58:34 GMT

Tags: 2024 , unrest , medical , sponsorship

Imagine This:

Help us help them!

Sponsor one or more of our students who've just arrived in Piton. Or help us stock up funds for our medical clinic that is busier than ever because it's the only place locals can go for basic care.

~ or ~

School Clinic Video

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:31:02 GMT

Tags: 2024 , medical

Our clinic is in desperate need of support

With the dangerous conditions roiling Haiti, our little country clinic is more important than ever. It's the only real option for many of the villagers who live on the mountain to receive medical care. Please help us shore up 6 months' supplies so there won't be an interruption in care. As of the typing of this blog, we are out of medications.

Three Things for 9 August 2024

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 19:51:14 GMT

Tags: 2024 , 3 Things

Click the image below to open the clickable version of the email!

Student Spotlight

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 18:26:06 GMT

Tags: 2024 , sponsorship

Spotlight on ...

Vulnerable students fleeing violence in Port-au-Prince

These children have just arrived in Piton. As we ramp up for school, please consider sponsoring one or more of these kids in need. Because their families left Port-au-Prince so quickly, some if not all of these children have had to borrow clothes.

To sponsor, follow the link to the Sponsorship page so you can choose whether to sponsor with monthly payments of $20 or one payment of $240.

Three Things for 9 July 2024

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 17:10:11 GMT

Hurricane Beryl, electricity repairs

Click the image below to get a clickable version of the email!

New Haitian Prime Minister

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:20:46 GMT

Tags: 2024 , article s, unrest

This is a text-only reprint of a New York Times article, found here.

Can This Doctor Tapped to Run Haiti Save the Country?

Haiti’s new prime minister is a trained gynecologist who experts say is more policy expert than seasoned politician. Many Haitians are counting on him to quell rampant gang violence.

By Frances Robles

July 9, 2024, 5:04 a.m. ET

As the new prime minister of Haiti, a country with no president or Parliament, where gangs have destroyed dozens of police stations and killed thousands of people, Garry Conille has arguably one of the toughest jobs of any leader in the Western Hemisphere.

He has attended funerals for slain police officers and met with their widows. He fired the police chief — blaming him for failing to fight the gangs — and named a new one, and he ushered in a contingent of police officers from Kenya tasked with helping alleviate the violence. He spent last week knocking on doors in Washington with an urgent message:

“This is no time for Haiti fatigue.”

Mr. Conille, 58, a former longtime U.N. official who had lived outside Haiti for more than a decade, took over the helms of Haiti’s government five weeks ago amid one of the country’s worst crises in decades.

The position had become vacant after armed groups joined forces to attack prisons, hospitals and entire neighborhoods in an uprising so severe that the former prime minister, who was on an overseas trip, could not return to his own country.

Mr. Conille was chosen by a presidential transitional council that is helping to oversee the country.

A gynecologist by training, Mr. Conille now must restore order to Haiti in the hopes of organizing orderly and fair elections for president and Parliament. He is viewed as something of an outsider unstained by Haiti’s notoriously dirty politics and chronic corruption who was appointed with the blessing of the Biden administration and the international community.

Haitians are left wondering: After years of political turmoil, graft and a murder plot that left the last president dead at the hands of Colombian mercenaries, can this mild-mannered technocrat turn things around for a nation with millions of people living in abject poverty and where more than 500,000 people were forced to flee their homes?

It has already been rough going: Within days of taking office, he briefly wound up in the hospital for an unknown condition.

“First, what I need is a functioning justice system, and to be honest, that I don’t quite have right now,” Mr. Conille said in an interview with The New York Times. “I have 40 police stations that have been destroyed. We need to get ready to fix them.”

His list of priorities is long: regaining territory from gang leaders’ grips, reopening schools and hospitals, rebuilding roads. He envisions a Haitian government that can provide basic services, like education and medical care, to its 11 million people, particularly the millions who are experiencing hunger.

For that to happen, Mr. Conille said the international community needed to provide more money, noting that Haiti received far more international aid in prior years, when the situation was not as dire.

“I think the crisis that we’re facing now is certainly more complex than what we faced after the earthquake,” he said. “And after the earthquake, we had certainly a much larger pool of partners engaged and engaging in a more significant way.”

A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, leaving a death toll that its government estimated to be as high as 316,000. Billions of dollars in aid poured in from around the world, but the nation struggled to recover.

After the tremor, Mr. Conille worked for former President Bill Clinton, who was the U.N.’s special envoy to Haiti. He had previously served as prime minister under President Michel Martelly, but lasted just four months when the two clashed over claims of corruption in post-quake contracts.

Mr. Conille met last week with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, members of Congress, international lenders and members of the Haitian diaspora to make the case that aid is needed more than ever.

Wolf Pamphile, the founder of the Haiti Policy House, a Washington research institute, said he was struck by the prime minister’s inviting and “calming vibe.” At a cocktail hour meeting in Washington, Mr. Conille wore a guayabera and spoke Creole and English — but not the French usually favored by the Haitian educated elites, Mr. Pamphile said.

He said Mr. Conille was enjoying a honeymoon period, but it’s unclear how long it will last.

“You know when you first start a job and everyone likes you?” Mr. Pamphile said. “He’s off to a good start. He’s delivering something people have been asking for, which is communication.”

Experts debate when exactly things got so bad in Haiti. The billions in earthquake aid never accomplished the enormous redevelopment needed. No elections have been held in eight years, which has left Parliament and most other elected positions empty.

President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home three years ago this week, and the next three years were marked by a wave of gang violence that saw huge increases in kidnappings, killings and the takeover of much of Port-au-Prince, the capital.

In late February, several gangs joined forces in a quest to overthrow the government. They succeeded in forcing the resignation of the prime minister at the time, Ariel Henry. Mr. Henry had flown to Kenya to formalize an agreement for the East African nation to deploy police officers to curb gang violence. Gang leaders took advantage of his absence to attack police stations, prisons and medical facilities.

Nearly 600,000 were forced to flee their homes in recent years. The United Nations recorded 3,252 homicides between January and May, up from 2,453 during the previous five-month reporting period.

Asked why he would leave his previous job, as a regional director for UNICEF, to take on such a challenging endeavor, Mr. Conille borrowed from an expression he said he picked up in Africa: “If not me, then who? And if not now, then when?”

Mr. Conille scored points shortly after he took office by showing empathy by publicly meeting with widows of slain police officers, said Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder of The Haitian Times, an online newspaper based in New York that covers Haiti and the diaspora.

“Haitian leaders never do that,” he said.

He called Mr. Conille’s prior term as prime minister a decade ago under Mr. Martelly a “debacle,” precisely because he was not one to play politics.

“He was politically naïve,” Mr. Pierre-Pierre said. “He didn’t play the petty games that politicians writ large and especially those in Haiti play, and he was not ready for that.”

In fact, several news outlets reported last week that Mr. Conille angered members of the transitional presidential council now running Haiti because he left for Washington and notified them with a text message sent in the middle of the night, hours before his departure. Edgard Leblanc Fils, the head of the council, did not respond to a request for comment.

But Mr. Conille’s profile as a policy nerd, one detached from Haitian politics, was exactly what people were hoping for, experts said. Haitians have grown weary of the country’s political class, who have often been mired in accusations of misconduct and ties to the very gangs now wreaking havoc.

The United Nations accused Mr. Martelly of financing and arming gangs. The United States sanctioned former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe , accusing him of misappropriating $60 million in Venezuelan government aid for private gain. Mr. Henry, who served after the president’s killing, was dogged by accusations that he had ties to a prime suspect in the case.

All three politicians denied the accusations.

“The political class has not left a good taste in the people’s mouth, and I think we were looking for people who were competent, who have track records of being able to manage things and to produce results,” said Ariel Dominique, founder of the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy, an advocacy group. “We are yearning for results. Whether he is the person remains to be seen.”

Frances Robles is a Times investigative reporter covering the United States and Latin America. She has been a journalist for more than 30 years. More about Frances Robles

Current Needs - July 2024

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 14:55:35 GMT

Tags: 2024 , school , natural disaster

Summer School and Hurricanes

Summer camp started on Monday, 1 July . On Tuesday the 2nd, Hurricane Beryl came through. Several families from Piton and Piton West spent the night in the school buildings and ATI building for safety. We sustained some damage but no devastation as in other storms. We'll take the win! As soon as the weather cleared - a friendly game of soccer.

Mesi Bondye!

Current Needs

This list will be updated with hurricane recovery costs as assessments occur.

Hurricane Beryl

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 16:04:43 GMT

Tags: 2024

* This post will be updated periodically as information comes in regarding damage.

Update for 3 July 2024

Mostly good news! Everyone is ok. Several families slept in school buildings and the ATI house last night for safety. We sustained some roof damage and one latrine is completely roofless! The community is ok and the school is right back to summer camp and soccer. Thank you, Heaven.

Update as of ~9-10am ET on 2 July 2024.

As of this morning, Beryl has shifted far enough south of Haiti to threaten the southern peninsula with "only" Tropical Storm-level winds (39-54 mph). And I'm seeing the current forecast is for less than an inch of rain! Hopefully she'll stay there and not shift north as today goes on. The wind and even a little bit of rain can still cause problems for our people but shouldn't be devastating. They have no real cover where the school is, so I'm expecting some structural damage. Certainly they'll have to clean up debris. It could be much worse!

We are Samuel's early warning system

I realized back in 2016 when Hurricane Matthew was approaching Haiti that Samuel wasn't aware of huge storms heading their way. Matthew was devastating for Piton; it undid a lot of our early work and completely wiped out Samuel's home. Since then we've had at least 3 storms and 2 earthquakes. Now this monster blows up within 24 hours from a tropical depression (~65-70) to hurricane strength (130). I began updating him yesterday morning as he was organizing the first day of summer camp activities. First day of summer camp is as hectic as the first day of school so he didn't have a lot of bandwidth to message with me. I reminded him a couple times about the storm ( pa bliye ) because - well - look at it.

He warned people yesterday and this morning has plans to allow 5 families from Piton and 10 families from Piton West to come sleep in the school building and the ATI house. He is making sure himself, the security guard, and other people have flashlights.

The Rabbit Hole ~

Watching Beryl so intently got me looking back at the other storms I've documented for Piton.

Coffee Project

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 19:54:42 GMT

Tags: 2024 , coffee

Piton's coffee project is a success!

In 2022, Aid to Infrastructure launched a coffee initiative. Two years later, Samuel and a group of ladies are reinvesting in their program, selling seedlings to others who want to grow for themselves and selling ground coffee in the market. We're so proud of their initiative and hard work!

Samuel's report on the coffee project - June 2024

Translated from Haitian Creole and lightly edited

I've sold coffee seedlings for 40,000 gourds (~$300 USD) to members of the community who are interested in planting coffee, with this money I buy coffee seeds for 15,000 gourds (~113 USD) to continue producing more coffee seedlings in the Piton Community with the goal of having coffee products to transform into coffee powder (grinds). The powder will be sold in local markets and in the rest of the country. This will help us financially support the activities of the community such as: Agriculture and other activities in the community. There is an expense to support the school garden to buy tools and seeds and maintenance of 15,000 gourds, we have 10,000 gourds (~$75 USD) left available from the money received. Community members are happy to plant coffee in the earth because God gave us the earth to plant to give good crops in the Gardens.

For now I continue to produce coffee at the nursery site so that there are seedlings available for people to plant. It is an agricultural enterprise that produces coffee for people to find. It is with coffee that farmers make money. Long ago in the community, coffee was an economic resource that used to help the peasants a lot. I am very happy because people have a lot of happiness to join together to plant coffee.

Enjoy these photos of the coffee project

click on any image for full size

Report from Samuel - December 2023

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:27:02 GMT

Tags: 2023 , Samuel's Reports , sponsorship , newsletters

Often in our newsletters we include a message from Samuel, discussing a particular program and/or expressing thanks to our supporters. His messages are important enough that they are posted in our blog. These reports are translated from Haitian Creole to English as close as possible to retain Samuel's voice. Due to translation, some of the syntax may read awkward to American eyes.

Report from Samuel included in the Winter 2023 Newsletter

We thank our donors for the support they bring to our school. This year we received several new students who had great difficulty going to school in the capital Port-au-Prince because of the problems with violence and insecurity. Our community is a haven for the children and parents who come here. The donor support really helps the Piton Community to make progress and have success in the school where there is good clean water for the students and the community.

We are very happy and appreciate the support given by the donors for the coffee project which we conduct through the school where the students and staff get food to eat.

There is health care provided in the clinic for the students and members of the community to always remain in good health.

We thank God for inspiring love in the hearts of the donors to bring their support to the Piton and Piton West communities. May God continue to bless us all together. Glory to our God almighty.

Aid to Infrastructure

December 2023

3 Things from ATI: 6/14/2024

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:14:21 GMT

Tags: 2024 , 3 Things

Three Things from ATI is a semi-weekly email to our most engaged supporters. We promise to keep these emails short! If you want more information, there will be links! Scroll down to sign up for these emails or to download this PDF.

This is an image of the original email, so the links won't work. The links for this installment are:

Thank you!

Summer Camp

Reuters article

Report from Samuel - March 2024

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 21:27:38 GMT

Tags: 2024 , Samuel's Reports , sponsorship , newsletters

Report from Samuel included in the Spring 2024 Newsletter

The student sponsorship program is a very important program. The students who came from Port-Au-Prince due to insecurity problems where violence makes them leave the capital, come to Piton. They benefit from the support that helps them in school.

Children whose parents cannot help them get support money to help them with uniforms, shoes, book bags and class supplies. Students who have already benefited from the support, we see how they are progressing in their class work, this shows that it is a very good program.

Parents, students, teachers and members of the school management is very appreciative and we thank the supporters who are giving help to the students. There is good progress being made in the school because there are materials for them to learn in the classes. We are very happy for this program that supports the students in school there.

This program has already begun to make a good impact in the school because the students who were in difficulty at the beginning have class supplies to learn, shoes to put on their feet, uniforms, and book bags.

It is a blessing from God to send support by sponsors to help the students in the school. The students are very happy in the school.

Thank you very much. God bless Piton.

God bless all our supporters.

Summer Camp

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 19:35:40 GMT

Tags: 2025, 2024 , 2020 , 2019 , 2018 , 2017

Summer Camp @ the Piton Community School!

Updated May 2025

Each summer since 2016, Piton Community School has organized a summer camp which is an extension of the regular school year but a bit more fun. They have bible study, work in the garden, serve daily meals, and have plenty of play time.

Many families residing in Piton are coping with trauma from the violence happening throughout the country. So there will be workshops for adults and children alike to help them cope and discuss ways to reduce violence. Police and security personnel will also be present to educate, encourage, and help the village form a plan for protection.

Faith formation continues during summer camp. It's more important now than ever to incorporate biblical truth into our education and training.

As always, agriculture will be a big part of summer activities. The students work their own gardens with their friends and family. As usual, the group of ladies from Piton & Piton West who work together year round to produce food and coffee for family, community, and profit will be involved.

The cost for summer camp is $2,500 for approximately 8 weeks.

Help us fund this important summer activity!

Enjoy these photos from past summer camps

Click on any image to view full size

3 Things from ATI: 6/7/2024

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 16:37:59 GMT

Tags: 2024 , 3 Things

Since this is an image of the original email, the links won't work. The links for this installment are:

Violence in Haiti

Urgent Need for Medication

Road to Piton

The day we met Piton

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 23:33:14 GMT

Tags: 2024 , ATI 10 , time travel

Ten years ago, Tom and I had just met the year before. We began spending significant time together late in the year 2013. By January 2014, we had two trips planned to Haiti together in about as many months. We were going to Tom's friend Pastor Pierre's mission, La Croix New Testament Mission on the northern peninsula of the country. For the second trip we decided to meet up with a Haitian friend of mine that I'd met a few years earlier and who had stayed in touch with me through Facebook messenger while I worked in Tomazo. I had been too involved in that work to even entertain making the trip to Samuel's village. Now that I had Tom as an adventurous partner in travel, we decided to find our way to Samuel. We connected with another friend in Port au Prince and met Samuel in Petit Goave, on the southern peninsula, and a couple miles away from Piton Mountain.

In Samuel's words, he needed us to visit because his village needed a doctor (Tom is an MD). This was further supported by Samuel himself having a very tough spring cold at the moment, so severe his dark skin was pale. I could tell he felt terrible but he was meeting with us anyway. It was good to see him after a few years apart and he was the same Samuel I remembered.

We piled into a small SUV, four or five of us, and began the hour long drive - which is probably no more than 20 miles. We went a few miles out of the city of Petit Goave on Route 2 (one of two major highways in the country) and then turned right onto a road that quickly angled up. Like, 45° angle up. The mountain itself was lush and green and peppered with small enclaves of communities. A convenience store here and there, schools and churches, too. We drove past all that and kept going up. Every now and then there would be a break in the trees and you could see out across the hills and chart your progress up. It became literally breathtaking to gaze out over the mountains, being closer to the clouds than the water.

Finally we pulled off the ever-narrowing tire-strip road into a grassy area where we parked the car. The mountain kept going and the road turned into a steep rocky pathway on which we began to walk. About an 45 minutes later, we are on the last couple of turns that are even steeper, smaller, and rockier. We wind around a house here or there and on both sides are fields that are farmed, some at an angle closer to 90° than 45. A couple teenagers appear out of huts and run past us, barefoot and smiling, to beat us to our destination. I'm going slowly because I'm taking pictures every step of the way, thinking, well, these kids aren't sick.

The road leveled out and there's a building before us. Samuel tells us that's his school. As we draw closer, breathless from the hike, we realize the roof is basically in the floor of the school. Samuel was conducting classes in a quarter of the building where they had a little shelter from the sun and wind but probably not from the rain.

I think Tom's first words were, "they don't need a doctor, they need an engineer!" and indeed that was the case. If you know anything about Tom Tigar, you know he was thrilled. He whipped out his notebook, got to work, and we haven't stopped since.

♥

Haiti in Turmoil

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 21:35:14 GMT

Tags: 2024 , unrest

Quoting a friend's recent statement: so much heartache for such a tiny island. We receive disturbing reports weekly. One day last week I received scary news from three different areas I know well. in my communications with our supporters, I try not to focus on the negative. It's important to show you that amidst the chaos, there are good things happening and there are good people in Haiti who just want to live good lives. Now it's to the point I feel irresponsible by not addressing it more often and reporting on what's happening in our part of the country while asking for prayer, since that's all we can do as individuals. We need specific prayers for the protection of Piton and the communities on the mountain. Only one road provides access to all the mountain communities. That one road branches off of Haiti Route 2; the second of the country's two major highways. When in need of supplies or medical care, residents on the mountain travel down to Rte 2 either on foot or motorcycle taxi. From there they continue on to either Grand Goâve or Petit Goâve via taptap (truck taxi) or moto taxi.

It has become increasingly dangerous to make this trip. Reports are making it up the mountain of gang infiltration in Grand Goâve, which is consistent with reports we've received through the news.

Please pray:

for God's light to overcome evil intent
for our mountain and the villages that are joining together for safety
for the plight of the ordinary, law-abiding people of Haiti who are caught in an untenable, violent situation
for Haiti in general, for chaos to decrease and mercy to increase
for peace

Thanks for being here,

Medication Needs

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:58:51 GMT

Tags: 2024 , medical

9 July 2024 Update

You were so generous to this plea for support that I knew I'd have enough left over for the next purchase of supplies.
The need came this week and I was able to respond immediately. Here are pictures showing specifically how your support of our clinic is helping our friends in Piton:

Original Post

Our clinic is in urgent need of more medications

We need $2,500 to keep our clinic functional!

Will you help?

13June2024 Update: We asked and you responded! Thanks for donating the requested amount and then some. If helping provide medications to this underserved and vulnerable population is important to you, please consider future gifts earmarked for medications.

Our clinic is being utilized now more than ever. Where in years past we've needed a restock a few times a year, we are now restocking once a month. With everything and everyone on edge right now, people are coming to our clinic in Piton rather than going into the larger nearby cities for medication or care. We received word last week that gangs are trying to take over an area where many people from the villages go for medical care. An already difficult trip to nearby towns is made more dangerous because of gangs.

The types of supplies and medications we keep on hand are:

wound care: bandages, salve,
medications to treat various types of infections: fungal, bacterial, parasitic and skin,
medications to manage general conditions such as high blood pressure, and diabetes,
vitamins,
children's cough syrup,
basic pain relief and fever reducers,
de-worming medication.

Samuel sends pictures such as the ones below to show me the need and these are the most recent ones.

We need $2,500 to keep our clinic functional!

Will you help?

Road to Piton

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:10:50 GMT

Tags: 2024 , construction , road to Piton

Construction of the Road to Piton

This is a blog post I created specifically for the purpose of approaching three supporters that I expected would be interested in helping us out with this road project. I sent them a link to this post, knowing they would understand 1) how fundamentally important something as basic as a traversable road is to the progress of a community, and 2) not everyone is interested in helping us buy cement (understandably)! This years-long project was taken on by multiple communities on Piton mountain with the expressed purpose of aiding the top of the mountain that is home to Piton and Piton West.

This interest in supporting the northern-most communities on the mountain is relatively new; when Tom and I first began working in Piton in 2014, there was little interest in the welfare of these communities. The road and everything else just stopped.

THANK YOU to David Flow, Jake Loyd, and Jonathan Blount for responding so quickly and generously. I've known these gentlemen somewhere around 13 years and they've all three shown immense interest in our work in Piton. They not only responded quickly to an out-of-the-blue plea, but they provided more than requested, which allowed us to make even more progress on the road.

Somewhere a proverb was born about planting a tree under whose shade one will never sit. Thank you so much, David, Jake, and Jonathan for caring about a road that you likely will never walk. You're positively affecting the welfare of generations.

-------

(original post)

Below are pictures from Samuel showing the progress. First is 2024 with vertical orientation first and horizontal second.

Then are the pictures from the work done in 2022; vertical and horizontal separate. They're easier to view when in the same orientation.

Click or tap on an image to enlarge and scroll through each gallery (4 total).

March-April 2024

2022

New Student Sponsorship Program

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 14:45:37 GMT

Tags: 2024 , sponsorship , unrest

New Student Sponsorship Program

The Story

We began our most important programs early in our journey as ATI. To this day, the lunch program is our most important one; begun in 2015. I tried out a very unstructured version of a sponsorship program early on, but didn't have the resources to do it much justice. I know of other sponsorship programs and the administrative work it requires can be overwhelming - particularly for one person. Then I was diagnosed and there were definitely not enough resources for the next 6 years.

Last year as my health improved exponentially, I could expend more energy toward improving ATI but didn't yet know how that would look. As the year came to a close, a previous donor who hadn't been engaged for a while, reached out to me inquiring about a student sponsorship program. She wanted to sponsor (specifically) five children in honor of her recently-passed mother. It hit me like tumblers falling into place: it was time for a proper sponsorship program. Thank you, Cassandre David-Washington . By remembering us, you breathed new life into what has become a game changer for our little village.

So here we are. It's a lot of work, especially up front, but it's so much fun. Collecting data from Samuel, double checking birthdays & spelling, which students are refugees from PAP, connecting a picture to a name ... it all sounds straightforward but wires get crossed in the shuffle. Core data (and make no mistake -- nonprofit work is mostly core data) quickly becomes a quagmire of language gap, European vs. American formatting, and human error. Samuel and I have a rare working relationship and we get things worked out over Facebook Messenger daily.

It's been a joyful process, designing the program, bookmarks, webpage hierarchy (not as joyful). There is much to come. I'm proud of what we've accomplished with this program in its first 6 months but there's much more to come. This program promises to be as significant as the lunch program in wholly different ways. It reaches farther into the operation of the school, which has become the center of ATI. By supporting these children, we're supporting their families, and I believe we're creating positive generational change in Piton. Which will naturally spread and touch other villages.

This is how we are fighting against the chaos and darkness in Haiti. So much heartache in such a little island, said my friend, Suzan Hicks . On the edge of despair, we ask each other, "What can we do about this broken world?"

This is what I do. And you can join me!

Thank you for being here,

2024 Spring Newsletter

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:42:34 GMT

Tags: 2024 , newsletters , sponsorship , political unrest , ATI 10

Happy Spring, everyone.

Enjoy our latest updates a page at a time here. You can also download a copy.
Sometimes we redact dollar amounts for security reasons. Let us know if you'd like an unredacted copy.

Thanks for being here,

Click any page to enter full view mode. A .pdf may also be downloaded by clicking the button below.

Tags: 2023 , newsletters

Time Travel -> 2017

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 16:27:04 GMT

Tags: 2024 , time travel

"I mean business"

Love this pic from 7 years ago. Love the t-shirt here: "I mean business." He kind of looks like he does.

Samuel's caption on the original Facebook post reads:

"I am very happy for all the great work that has been done in the community for 2 years, we have a very good team that is helping the community

Thank God for this love, I am very satisfied with all the help in the field of education, infrastructure, food and sanitation. Thanks a lot my friend. God bless us. "

I agree, Samuel! Looking back it's interesting to see how much has and hasn't changed. Looking forward to what we may see in another 7 years.

ATI 10 Years & Pray for Haiti

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 15:43:08 GMT

Tags: 2024, ATI 10, unrest

This month marks the 10th anniversary of Aid to Infrastructure; tomorrow to be exact. A decade ago, Tom and I traveled up an impossibly beautiful, quite steep, and inhospitably rugged-to-vehicles mountain to visit Samuel Pamzou's village. He wanted us to visit because his village needed healthcare. When we arrived on foot, we found the village-center community school with it's roof in the floor. That moment is when Tom and I silently committed to create Aid to Infrastructure and build a life together.

Today, we're watching our adopted country burn. Literally. I don't need to post a news story here because you will see plenty in your news feeds. It's been important to me these past 14 years of being involved in Haiti to focus on what's right in the country and the good we can do; because it's all too easy to find reports of what's wrong.

Our friends on the mountain are relatively safe due to their remote location. But it's foolish to pretend they aren't affected. Today I feel a dissonance between my desire to promote our new sponsorship program and the other good things happening in Piton and my distress at what's happening in the broader country. We have ATI family in the U.S. and Haiti. Those of us in the U.S. feel helpless; and it's hard for me to imagine what it's like being in country.

Please keep Haiti in your prayers for mercy and anything that resembles peace. If a solution exists, it won't be a simple one -- and can only be achieved with the help of our Lord Abba. Please prayerfully remember the plight of the ordinary, law-abiding people of Haiti who are caught in an untenable, violent situation.

Thanks for being here,

Widespread Protests

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 16:41:25 GMT

Widespread protests against the Prime Minister

Please keep Haiti in your prayers. Protests against the prime minister are rampant in the area of Petit Goâve and all over the country, gaining momentum. More families are arriving in Piton fleeing violence not in the capital of Port au Prince, but in the nearby town of Petit Goâve. Samuel has vowed to welcome them. Pray for everyone's safety and for cooler heads to prevail.

Samuel & Leandro - great partners

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 13:50:16 GMT

Time Travel --> 2017 Samuel & Leandro

You know how Facebook likes to remind us of what happened on this day in whatever year by featuring a photo. January 6th's memory was from 2017 and it brought back great memories of time spent in Piton. In 2024, Samuel and I speak daily on Messenger regarding our work and Leandro has changed his life; now living in Florida but still integral to ATI.

Here is what I wrote that day on Facebook when I shared it :

These two. Samuel Pamzou Leandro Jean-Louis are two of the best men I've ever met, any country. De nan pi bon gason mwen te janm rankontre nan nenpòt peyi.

Samuel sought me out to work with him for multiple years before we were able to make it happen. Leandro was fired from a job where we worked together because of his relationship with me. Then he turned down double the pay I could give him so he could stick with me in my fledgling nonprofit. When I say "two of the best," it is a sincere statement. Our nonprofit is tiny compared to others, but we have the same core people, same level of trust, and complimentary visions. Every single time I take a moment to consider these and other factors, I'm humbled all over again for the perfectness of it all. #aidtoinfrastructure #haiti

Samuel's text on original photo (English/Haitian Creole):

This friend and I started working in the Piton community in 2014. We understand very well [the importance of] to help the community in various areas such as health and education. We work inside an institution called: AID TO INFRASTRUCTURE, which has a great and courageous woman: Katherine Harrison, accompanied by Dr. Tom Tigar and their other teammates in the United States. I am very happy to work with this institution for progress.

Today I take this moment to especially thank Ms. Katherine for her many collaborations and all her support to this community and then to my family. Thanks to my friend Leandro Jean-Louis for your collaboration.

God bless us.

Mwen ak zanmi sa a nou komanse travay nan kominote Piton depi nan Lane 2014. Nou antann tre byen pou n ede kominote nan divès domén tankou:lasante ak ledikasyon. Nou travay anndan enstitisyon ki rele :AID TO INFRASTRUCTURE ki gen yon gwo fanm Vanyan ki se:Katherine Harrison présidente akonpanye docteur Tom Tigar ak lot ekip li nan ozetazini.

Mwen tre kontan pou m fe travay ak enstitisyon pou pwogrè.

Jodi a mwen pwofite moman sa a pou m remèsye espesyalman Mme Katherine pou anpil kolaborasyon ak tout anpil sipò li bay kominote sa a epi answit ak fanmi m.

Mesi zanmi m Leandro Jean-Louis pou kolaborasyon w.

BonDye béni nou.

2023 Winter Newsletter

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 18:24:51 GMT

Tags: 2023 , newsletters

Merry Christmas, everyone. Below is the latest from Piton in our printed quarterly newsletter, a page at a time. This edition replaces the message from me with a report from Samuel. Thank you so much for a great 2023 and we're looking forward to a wonderful 2024!
If you didn't receive a paper copy in the mail and would like one, just let us know!

Thanks for being here,

Click any page to enter full view mode. A .pdf may also be downloaded by clicking the button below.

Tags: 2023 , newsletters

Cyber Monday Match!

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 16:24:52 GMT

It's Cyber Monday!

How about using today to get a great deal on your donation!

Dollar-for-dollar match up to $1,000 for the next 24 hours!

This drive will benefit our lunch program - the most important program we have. Click here for more info.

Happy Thanksgiving!

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 18:03:04 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving from ATI

If you've ever wondered where the shirts you donate end up, sometimes they end up in Haiti. Most people there wearing donated clothes with English phrases don't know what is written on their chests. I enjoy seeing what's written on our kids' shirts; it often brings a smile to my face. I'm 100% here for the way this message is driven home by a girl surrounded by her schoolmates, looking at the camera with a matter-of-fact expression.

Enjoy the pictures below. Because of your generosity, we're able to provide these kids with a safe place to learn and grow; so much so that Piton has become a safe refuge for victims of gang violence in Port-au-Prince. What a testament to the hospitality and generosity of the people of Piton and Piton West!

Wishing you peace throughout this holiday season!

Grateful for you,

Katherine

Aid to Infrastructure

Each one of you is part of the body of Christ,
and you were chosen to live together in peace.
So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts.
And be grateful.

Colossians 3:15 CEV

Nov 2023 Rotary Club presentation

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 14:20:35 GMT

Presentation - Wilmington Rotary Club

Sept 2023 Wilmington College class discussion

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 13:02:43 GMT

Class discussion - Wilmington College - Michael Snarr

2023 Late Summer Newsletter

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 19:41:20 GMT

Tags: 2023 , newsletters

Happy (end of) Summer!

Read the latest updates from Piton in our printed quarterly newsletter, a page at a time. At the end you'll see a report from Samuel that was included as an insert in the print mail out.
If you didn't receive a paper copy in the mail and would like one, just let us know!

Thanks for being here,

Click any page to enter full view mode. A .pdf may also be downloaded by clicking the button below.

Tags: 2023 , newsletters

Trouble comes to our mountain

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 22:35:36 GMT

Bandits have arrived

In our recent newsletter , I mentioned that Piton had welcomed families fleeing the violence in Port-au-Prince. They left everything behind, got out of town, and ended up in Piton. At first I knew of ten extra students in the Piton Community School. That number has increased to 31. Our clinic is busier than ever; not only from cholera outbreaks and cold/flu season, but because more people from other areas of the mountain are coming to our clinic. They don't want the risk of traveling to nearby Petit Goâve.

The political situation in Haiti has been deteriorating since 2019. The Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July 2021, and the government has spiraled ever since. I've been asked many times how our village is doing in the face of all the violence and government upheaval. My answer has always been the same: sometimes it's good to live on a mountaintop in an agrarian community. Things that happen in the larger cities rarely affect the day-to-day life of villagers. They've been affected by occasional riots in other towns and roaring inflation, but not directly threatened.

Until now.

Now our friends have confirmed the presence of bandits on the mountain and in the nearest village to Piton. Just last night (12 June 23), there were five policemen patrolling in and around Piton. At least one person has been arrested. Samuel has been meeting with leaders of nearby villages and organizations to work together for protection. It will be an ongoing process that is happening right now as I type and will likely end up with us hiring security for the school.

I work to post calmly and give updates in ways that aren't overly emotional or alarmist. But at this moment I'm alarmed . Perhaps the arrival of gang members to our calm area of Haiti was inevitable? Makes it no less scary. The level and ferocity of the violence around the country has been astonishing. I've allowed myself a measure of a sense of security based solely on the isolated situation of our friends. I'm afraid that's not the case any longer.

Current Needs (will be updated):

$1,200 for lighting repairs. Currently we are in need of repairing lights on the outside of the school. We use a solar panel/generator array that provides a small amount of light in the evenings. For security, Samuel is being advised to repair the lighting on the outside of the school and likely to add more. The ATI building we built in 2017-18 is just feet behind the school. If security is hired for the village, that person will likely be based in the ATI building.
$1,100 for medication. As mentioned above, our clinic is serving more people than ever. We're covering Piton, Piton West, and now people from down the mountain are coming to the ATI clinic because they don't feel safe making the hour-long trip to nearby Petit Goâve. A majority of the problems presented to our clinic are minor issues and easy to treat. But we need medications; we are going through our supply faster than ever this year.

Aid to Infrastructure is blessed to have a core group of dedicated, engaged donors who respond quickly when I reach out for assistance. We are still here only by the grace of God and their generosity! Occasional donors, if you haven't given for a while, and you are able -- now is the time.

If you are in the medical field, please consider giving towards medication and supplies. Below are photos of recent patients.
If you're a monthly giver, can you increase your amount by 20%?
If you're not a monthly giver, and are able to become one, please do. Monthly giving - on any level - adds to consistent revenue that we can depend on to keep things running smoothly.

Regardless, please keep our mountain and the whole country of Haiti in your prayers. The future is uncertain but we'll face it together.

Recent pictures from children seen in our clinic

18 May Flag Day Significance with Celebration Photos

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sat, 20 May 2023 16:45:15 GMT

Tags: 2023 , Haitian Heritage Month

Flag day is a big deal in Haiti. It's similar to our 4th of July celebrations where the flag is a symbol of everything we honor about our country and when we celebrate our independence from colonial rule. It's the same with Haiti. May 18 marks the day the red and blue Haitian flag was hoisted for the first time in 1803 and symbolizes Haiti's independence from French rule.

**Interesting fact, the Haitian Revolution is the first and most successful slave revolt in the world.

From Brown University :

The Haitian Revolution was the world’s only successful slave revolt.

The Haitian Revolution was one of the great episodes of human history. Although perpetually overshadowed by the American and French Revolutions, which preceded and to a degree caused it, it forever changed the history of the world. It witness the first successful slave uprising, introduced the first African-led nation in the new world, and profoundly affected France, the United States, and the neighboring nations and colonies of the hemisphere.

Despite the political problems that have always beset Haiti, and seem to be besting the country at this moment, Haitians are extremely proud of their ideals of strength ("L'union fait la force") and perseverence. Below are pictures of celebrations on the mountain.

Hispanola

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 18 May 2023 14:43:36 GMT

Tags: 2023 , Haitian Heritage Month

Haitian Coffee

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 18 May 2023 14:01:39 GMT

Tags: 2023 , Haitian Heritage Month

Hibiscus: The Official Flower of Haiti

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 18 May 2023 01:46:49 GMT

Tags: 2023 , Haitian Heritage Month

The Haitian Currency

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 18 May 2023 01:37:57 GMT

Tags: 2023 , Haitian Heritage Month

Haitian Currency: Haitian Gouds, Haitian Dollars

Click the image above to see the video or click the images below to view each slide.

The Haitian Language

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 18 May 2023 00:41:50 GMT

Tags: 2023 , Haitian Heritage Month

Haitian Creole or Kreyòl Ayisyen

Everyday Haitians will speak Spanish before they speak English. For Americans who know Spanish, it will likely become the bridge language between English and Kreyòl.

Wealthier, more educated Haitian tend to speak French. The government conducts its business in French and French is the language used in most school. The average Haitian family speaks Kreyòl at home.

The Haitian Flag

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Tue, 16 May 2023 19:30:07 GMT

Tags: 2023 , Haitian Heritage Month

May is Haitian Heritage Month - May 18 is flag day. Here are a few facts about the flag.

From the 1987 Constitution, Article 3: The emblem of the Haitian Nation shall be a flag with the following description:

A) Two (2) equal-sized horizontal bands: a blue one on top and a red one underneath;

B) The coat of arms of the Republic shall be placed in the center on a white square;

C) The coat of arms of the Republic are: a Palmette surmounted by the liberty cap,
and under the palms a trophy with the legend: In Union there is Strength (L’Union Fait la Force).

According to the Haitian Embassy in Washington, DC, the Haitian flag has 9 iterations. The current flag was adopted in 1806 and was flown over the National Palace in Port-au-Prince until 1964. During this time there were multiple flags representing multiple areas of the country. In 1964, François (Papa Doc) Duvalier changed the Haitian Constitution and reinstated a black and red (vertical stripe) flag that included the coat of arms.

When Duvalier's son was removed from office in 1986, the previous 1806 flag was reinstated with the official adoption of the 1987 Constitution.

The Coat of Arms

The country’s coat of arms, which is placed in the flag’s center, depicts a trophy of weapons ready to defend the people’s freedom, and a royal palm, a symbolic representation of Haiti’s political independence. On top of the palm is a Phrygian cap —often call the liberty cap—which has been used to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty since the time of the Romans.

Tags: 2023 , Haitian Heritage Month

2023 Spring Newsletter

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Thu, 04 May 2023 19:37:08 GMT

Tags: 2023 , newsletters

Happy Spring!

Read the latest updates from Piton, a page at a time. If you didn't receive a paper copy in the mail and would like one, just let us know!

Thanks for being here,

Click any page to enter full view mode. A .pdf may also be downloaded by clicking the button below.

Tags: 2023 , newsletters

Easter Sunday

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 12:40:28 GMT

"He is not here. He is risen!" ~Luke 24:6

Happy Easter! I hope that wherever you are, the sky is blue, the sun is shining, and you can hear birds talking. The very Earth rejoices at the mercy and grace given to us by our Savior.

Yesterday's post was a bit bleak, wasn't it? Such is our life in an imperfect world. My prayer for you today is to have a heart full of joy today. To have the strength to cast off what is oppressing you so you may step out of darkness in to the full light of a renewed world.

"I am the resurrection and the life." ~ John 11:25

It's no accident that Spring and Easter arrive together; that theme of resurrection, life, and renewal.

We can move from the winter of the earth and the winter of our faith into into a renewed new life as a new creature:

i t's the hinge point of Christianity. And today is the day we get to celebrate that! What a relief!

Today is also the day I and everyone at ATI celebrate you. Thank you for being with us the past 9 years. We've been beset by illness, political unrest, and the everyday uncertainty that comes with nonprofit work.

You've been here for all of it and have buoyed us with your prayers, gifts, and talents.

Blessings on your day and your life!

Holy Saturday

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 13:50:30 GMT

The one day a year we imagine not having Jesus.
He is gone.
Dead - as far as his original followers knew.
We haven't yet heard the hopeful version of "he isn't here." Right now, on this dark Saturday, we only know he isn't here .

How alone they must have felt.
How alone we feel when we've lost someone dear to the inevitability of death. The finality of it; the void left by a living, breathing entity no longer occupying its place in space and time. Our space and time.

Holy Saturday is the most precarious day of the year on the Christian calendar.
We are alone: unsure, afraid, and immeasurably sad. Where do we turn; whom can we trust?

We've contended with the violence and cruelty of Good Friday.

We've grappled with the wrongness of the human ego and the damage it does to the righteous and unrighteous alike.

Aren't we relieved to get that behind us and begin preparing for the happiness of Easter Sunday?

Celebration is easy. We fill Saturday with preparation for Sunday's triumph.

But -

Holy Saturday may also be the most precious day on the Christian calendar. Why?

Because grief is sacred.

Saturday we mourn.

Saturday we hold our breath.

Saturday we feel the deepest, scariest feelings.

We are alone: unsure, afraid, and immeasurably sad. Where do we turn; whom can we trust?

Grief is individual as well as collective. Jesus' followers had the grief of their personal loss of an intimate friend; and the collective loss of a life-altering teacher and mentor. They were a family, for sure: a family who loved each other while also contending with disagreements and personality clashes. On their best days, they had a global aim; an all-inclusive view of what the Kingdom could look like - and a teacher to show them the way.

Saturday all that is gone. The very ground beneath their feet has fallen away. Grief is complete.

For a moment, the ground beneath our feet has fallen away, too. As we imagine their loss, we relive our own losses.

The death of loved ones,

the death of intimate family-level relationships,

the loss of security that was once enjoyed with confidence.

The loss of our own innocence, health, youth.

The falling away of things we felt certain would live on and be realized:

a dream, a goal, a vision of what we want our lives to look like.

Grief and death have to occur in order to make way

for rebirth, resurrection, renewal.

The work of grief is sacred.

On Holy Saturday, we modern Christians have the luxury of knowing the end of the story.
So maybe let's don't page forward just yet.

Let's engage in the sacred work to better prepare ourselves for

rebirth,

renewal,

and a life of faith that doesn't always let us see through to the end.

On Holy Saturday, let's remember the pain others may be going through - especially those hurting in ways we can't understand.
Please, as always, remember Haiti and the pain inflicted on those whose lives we can't fathom living ourselves.

Wishing you a blessed, sacred Holy Saturday - tomorrow we celebrate!

Piton as a refuge

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sun, 12 Mar 2023 00:37:52 GMT

Families flee Port-au-Prince to the safety of Piton

The violence in Haiti seems to reach new peaks every week. Port-au-Prince is a particularly hot spot. In recent weeks, about 25 families have fled PAP and ended up on Piton mountain in either the Piton or Piton West villages. The community has welcomed these families and are doing what they can to provide resources and a place to live to these refugees.

One particular family consists of a blind parent and 5 children, one of whom is disabled. The community is working to provide them with a home utilizing materials at hand, without asking us for assistance.

As a result of this influx, we have about 30 new children attending the community schools in Piton and Piton West. They need supplies to enable them to learn alongside the other children.

We need to raise about $2,000 to help accommodate these extra students.

On a personal note, Piton has long been a refuge for me. When there in person, it's like a homecoming. The peace of the village and its inhabitants is refreshing. When circumstances keep me in the U.S. from my own bad health to Haiti's political upheaval, it's Piton that keeps me motivated. In fact, when my health has been particularly bad, it's Piton that has gotten me out of bed some days I'd have rather stayed under the covers. That's because the ethos of the villages of Piton and Piton West is one of collaboration, progress, and Christian love.

As Americans, we see our Piton friends as being less fortunate than we. Do you ever think of them as being something beyond the recipients of charity? How about the givers of charity? This ethos of collaboration, progress, and Christian love is what has welcomed families from Port-au-Prince.

Let's help Piton/Piton West be a safe haven to others in Haiti, a place where violence-weary families can go to live in relative peace and provide education and food for their children.

Scroll down for a few photos.

Medication Needs

There has been a flare up of cholera on Piton mountain and Samuel is working to educate and raise awareness. To do this, he needs sanitation supplies. General medical needs have also increased in recent months, as well as the costs of medications.

We usually spend around $1000 every 4 months or so to keep the clinic stocked with basic medications. Currently, we are in cold/flu season with cholera and COVID thrown into the mix. We are refreshing our stock every couple months lately.

I'd like to raise $1,000 specifically for medications and sanitation supplies.

Vulnerable children in need of support

Your support of our clinic helps them keep their children healthy

The community comes together to build shelter for families leaving Port-au-Prince

Second Sunday of Advent

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 15:08:24 GMT

Advent 2022

(3) He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or...by what his ears hear,

(4) but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth....

(9) They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

~ Isaiah 11

The Messiah is often referred to as a rod, a branch, or a shoot. This is in keeping with the analogy of lineage being a tree and a lot of verses are given to describing Jesus' lineage. But these words also signify something small, tender, and easily broken off that over time grows to be mighty and strong. Isaiah 11 promises a time of peace and justice brought by the Messiah, sprouting from a stump (the embattled house of David) and growing into a righteous, equitable ruler.

I'm greeted with skepticism at times from people who don't understand why they should donate to a small nonprofit that serves Haiti. In essence, they ask, "Who cares about Haiti?" It's certainly an individual's right to not care about Haiti or to prioritize another cause over this one. My job is to remind you that Haiti is worth serving, that a small village on a mountaintop isn't invisible to God. That because a community isn't as polished as we are doesn't make them brutes. In fact, they are hardworking, kind, funny, and have aspirations different from ours but no less real. They want to live their lives communally and productively.

One morning, years ago, as we watched parents and older siblings walk the youngest to school in Port-au-Prince, a friend of mine said, "There's a lot that's wrong with Haiti but there's a lot that's right, too." It's been more than a decade since I heard that statement and it's still true today.

Don't judge Piton by the chaos enveloping the rest of the country. Pray that this holy mountain is judged with righteousness and equity, and that it and all of Haiti are covered by the knowledge of the Lord.

Thank you for being here,

Giving season is here!

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 20:08:29 GMT

Happy holiday season from all of us at ATI!

The giving season has started. It's a super important time of year for all nonprofits but especially us smaller ones. This when we set ourselves up for a strong start for a new year with new challenges and goals.

This year, I'm going all in. Thanks to a group of generous donors, ATI has a MATCHING campaign to help your dollars go even further!

Your dollars will be matched 1:1 up to $16,000.

Our goal is $50,000 by Dec. 31 .

Thanks to Samuel's consistent efforts on behalf of his village, the progress in Piton is better than ever. As you consider your year end giving options, please remember Aid to Infrastructure. You're making a real difference in the lives of real people.

For now, enjoy this little slider of photos including Christmas artwork from the kids, sure to melt your heart. Tip: check out Santa's face!

So glad you're here,

Check out our most recent posts:

First Sunday of Advent

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 18:12:14 GMT

Advent 2022

In days to come, the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established

as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.

All nations shall stream toward it...and say:

"Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths."

Isaiah 2:2-3

The reading for the first Sunday of Advent is from Isaiah, entitled The Mountain of the Lord. This Advent, I pray that our mountain, Piton Mountain, will become known as the Lord's mountain.

I'm grateful for the leadership shown by Samuel within his community. His leadership is what brought us to his village back in 2014. His flexibility and initiative are what's kept us going even as variables, such as my health issues and an increasingly volatile political environment, have threatened to stop our progress forward.

Pictured above is the road to Piton. This is right where the paved mountain road stops and the road to Piton arches up at about a 45 degree angle and becomes more and more treacherous. At this very moment, a collaborative of groups (including ATI) are working to pave this road! For years before and after we began traveling to Piton, hardly anyone paid attention to the area past this point, except those who live there. Now, thanks to Aid to Infrastructure's work and Samuel's constant advocacy for his village(s) to the local powers that be, he's getting his long-wished-for road. Thank you, Lord/Mesi, Bondye.

As we enter into this holiday season and you are inventorying your own blessings, remember that you have been a blessing to us! The good work happening in the Piton area despite chaos enveloping the country, is happening because of Samuel's commitment and your commitment to our efforts. Thank you!

Grateful you' re here,

Happy Thanksgiving!

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 03:57:22 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving from ATI

We just want to let you know how much you are appreciated. Your generosity of spirit has helped transform Piton and Piton West. So many good things have and continue to happen in our little village! Even while the rest of the country is struggling with upheaval of every kind, our two villages continue to progress forward.

We hope for a safe and wonderful holiday season for all of you.
Below, enjoy a few pictures of the people whose lives you've touch and get a sneak peak of our Christmas logo!

Grateful for you,

Katherine

Aid to Infrastructure

Photos and Christmas logo sneak peek!

2022 New Latrine Construction

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 03:11:12 GMT

New latrine construction

The time came to replace one of the latrines build in the early days of ATI. So we demolished the old to make way for the new. Photos below of the entire process, completed August - October 2022.

Click on a photo below to activate full size view.

Piton road build

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 02:49:08 GMT

The road to Piton gets an upgrade!

After years of taking the initiative to repair the rugged road leading to their village, the people of Piton are finally getting the help they deserve to truly improve the road and make it more passable by vehicles!

We're proud to let you know that Aid to Infrastructure is participating in a collaboration of groups who have pledged to improve the Piton road. We're working with APV, a group promoting the natural resources and beauty of Haiti and Piton mountain, as well as other local churches and groups. This is an exciting time.

The work begins in earnest in November 2022. Pictures will be posted here as the work progresses. Enjoy them below by clicking on a photo to activate the full view.

2022-23 School Year

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 14:33:38 GMT

The September cover for ATI's calendar

The Haitian school year was originally scheduled to begin Sept. 5, but with the problems currently plaguing the country the Minister of Education pushed the start date back one month.

As you likely know, life in Haiti is made more difficult recently by unrest and upheaval. Our village is largely unaffected by the chaos, as living at the top of a mountain provides a certain level of geographic protection. But to say there is no effect on our operations or mission would be disingenuous. To be honest, it's a little worrisome getting money to Samuel these days. I worry about his safety and I worry about my options to send money becoming more and more limited. Rioters just this week damaged the Haitian bank Samuel and I use to transfer money for our projects and programs. For now, he can't utilize that bank and we are using our constant fall back, Western Union. I've consciously tried to use the bank for years because I felt the security was perhaps better than at a WU location. (I won't even get started on the various bank transfer fees.) Western Union is extremely important to Haitians because that's the main vehicle for how the diaspora sends money to their families and friends.

However, we'll do what we need to make it work. We push forward and despite the chaos covering the country, our operations continue.

The new school year starts next week! This post isn't a fundraising post so I won't focus on numbers here. Below are the areas that need cover.

- tuition support: Not all the students can afford the tuition but the school permits their attendance anyway because it's the right thing to do. ATI hasn't been great about a true sponsorship program because of the intensive paperwork that would be involved. (By "ATI" I mean me!). But I feel like that should be our next step. I struggle with it because I don't want to "highlight" some students and not others but the truth is, support for one student is support for the school.

- lunch program: we provide a hot meal of rice & beans every day with supplemental chicken for added protein. This is the only hot meal most of these kids will receive each day; it's impossible to press how important this program is. The yearly numbers will be posted here .

- nurse salary: we pay Nurse Legina a stipend and transportation costs to travel to Piton weekly to be available for the students as well as the wider community.

- teacher salaries: The Haitian government theoretically provides teachers with pay. The teachers in Piton are at a disadvantage in two ways: 1) they work on top of a mountain with no easily-passable road in a village that most consider to be unimportant; and 2) google Haiti news. :-( It's only right to provide them with a steady income which also allows them the resources to travel for teacher training.

My thinking right now is to launch the end-of-year campaign early and run throughout the 4th quarter of the year rather than wait for Giving Tuesday. For now, enjoy these pics from the summer.

Thanks for being here.

Setting up Donor Portal access and recurring donations

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 02:12:50 GMT

Below are two sets of instructions for our donors:

How to set up access to your donor portal, and
How to set up recurring donations for our recurring donors.

Feel free to email katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com if you have any questions.

Thank you!

How to Set up the Donor Portal

1. Go to https://app.donorview.com/44mjA .

2. Click "Sign Up."

3. Enter your contact information. IMPORTANT : Use the same email address you've used for past donations.

4. Click the CAPTCHA to let the system know you're not a robot.

5. Click "Sign Up."

6. Check your email for a confirmation email from Aid to Infrastructure or donotreply@donorview.com.

7. Click the confirmation link.

8. You're done!

How to set up recurring donations

1. Go to www.aidtoinfrastructure.com/donate .

2. Select "Rec urring" and frequency of donation.

3. Fill in donation details.

4. Check the CAPTCHA to prove that you are, indeed, not a robot.

5. Click Donate Now .

6. You're all set!

September brings new things

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 01:41:45 GMT

New Season, New Online Home

Hello friends, I have exciting news! Our website host and donor management system have been updated to new providers! The site is fully functional but it will take some time to fully update it with blog posts, photos, updated information, etc. Please bear with us as we work to fill out our content. Hopefully this will provide a better online experience for our supporters and followers.

We have a new, more fully integrated donation page. Any link you may have saved prior to September 1 is no longer current. Please only donate on aidtoinfrastructure.com/donate .

Donors will also see a change in gift acknowledgements. Now you will receive an email with a link to a printer friendly acknowledgment letter. That link should always be active. But, here's the best part: If you choose - and this is strongly encouraged - you may set up a user account that allows you to view all your donation history, acknowledgment letters (going forward), and household and payment information. Click here to set up your account. Be sure to use the same email address you use for donations.

I hope you love our new home! I know I'm excited about how it will help me showcase our work in Haiti and manage more efficiently.

Thanks for being here,

Katherine

_

katherine@aidtoinfrastructure.com (Katherine Harrison) — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 22:39:44 GMT

Come back soon!

After migrating to a new web host, we have to manually update the blog!

Bear with us as we copy and paste our way to a new home. :-)

~Katherine

Aid to Infrastructure Blog

2025 Year in Pictures

2025 Wilmington College Global Issues Class Discussion

2025 Wilmington College Class Discussion Global Issues

Hurricane Melissa Aftermath

Hurricane Melissa ~ 28 Oct 2025

Update as of 22 Nov 2025

Damage Assessment

Update as of 9 Nov 2025

What Happened

Click below to see full size photos.

Summer School 2025

Summer Camp 2025

July & August

Three Things 14 June 2025

14 June 2025 Three Things from Piton Partnership email

Links included in this email

Three Things 8 Mar 25

Links included in this document

2024 Annual Report

Happy New Year & Thank You!

We did it! The Matching Challenge was a success!

Haitian-made Christmas Ornaments

Metal ornaments hand-hammered in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from steel drums.

This is the quintessential Haitian art form.

Haitian-made Christmas Wreath Auction

B egins Nov. 13 at 9am ET.

Ends Nov. 23 at 9pm ET.

On auction is a 22" metal wreath hand-hammered in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from a steel drum.

This is the quintessential Haitian art form.

News Coverage about Springfield, Ohio's Haitian population

This page will be updated.

The Haitian Times

The New York Times

The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Washington Post

2024 Fall Newsletter

Tags: 2024 , newsletters , sponsorship , political unrest , ATI 10

Click any page to enter full view mode. A .pdf may also be downloaded by clicking the button below.

2024 Wilmington College Global Issues Class Discussion

2024 Class Discussion Global Issues - Michael Snarr

Imagine This

Tags: 2024 , unrest , medical , sponsorship

Imagine This:

Help us help them!

Sponsor one or more of our students who've just arrived in Piton. Or help us stock up funds for our medical clinic that is busier than ever because it's the only place locals can go for basic care.

~ or ~

School Clinic Video

Tags: 2024 , medical

Our clinic is in desperate need of support

Three Things for 9 August 2024

Tags: 2024 , 3 Things

Click the image below to open the clickable version of the email!

Student Spotlight

Tags: 2024 , sponsorship

Vulnerable students fleeing violence in Port-au-Prince

Three Things for 9 July 2024

Hurricane Beryl, electricity repairs

New Haitian Prime Minister

Tags: 2024 , article s, unrest

Can This Doctor Tapped to Run Haiti Save the Country?

Haiti’s new prime minister is a trained gynecologist who experts say is more policy expert than seasoned politician. Many Haitians are counting on him to quell rampant gang violence.

Current Needs - July 2024

Tags: 2024 , school , natural disaster

Summer School and Hurricanes

Current Needs

Hurricane Beryl

Update for 3 July 2024

Update as of ~9-10am ET on 2 July 2024.

We are Samuel's early warning system

~~The Rabbit Hole ~~~

Coffee Project

Tags: 2024 , coffee

Piton's coffee project is a success!

Samuel's report on the coffee project - June 2024

Translated from Haitian Creole and lightly edited

Enjoy these photos of the coffee project

Report from Samuel - December 2023

Tags: 2023 , Samuel's Reports , sponsorship , newsletters

Report from Samuel included in the Winter 2023 Newsletter

2025 Wilmington College Class Discussion
Global Issues

14 June 2025
Three Things from Piton Partnership email

2024 Class Discussion
Global Issues - Michael Snarr

The Rabbit Hole ~

Each one of you is part of the body of Christ,
and you were chosen to live together in peace.
So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts.
And be grateful.