06 Feb Canada Goes to Haiti: Day 5

A team of 8 persons from UB churches in Canada has been in Haiti since January 30. Joan Sider, a retired schoolteacher from New Hope church in Toronto, is sending back daily reports. Here is her report for Saturday, February 4.

The team visited the salt-harvesting project, an exciting money-making project for the Haitian churches. Pastor Wedemarc started a business harvesting salt, and used it to support himself and 50 schoolchildren, and also provide some funding for the church he had planted. Seeing that this was such a viable business, it was expanded with the help of micro loans from UB members in the US and Canada–about $50,000 so far. The salt buyers include the Northwest Salt Company, out of of Kansas City, and a for-profit salt venture in Port Au Prince by Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind. Pastor Wedemarc is now looking for a manger so he isn’t involved in the day-to-day operations.

 

We left the hotel around 9 or so, and set off for a part of Gonaives which was very obviously the poor area of the city. We drove out to the area where the surface salt harvesting happens.

We passed a lot of basins until we came to ours. We have 5 done–3 shallow ones and 2 deep ones. A reservoir of salt water is used to fill the shallow basins. It is pumped from the reservoir.   The shallow ones have a depth of about 10-12 inches with a surface area of about 450 sq. meters.  One of the guys paced it off and he feels it is larger than what Pastor Wedemarc said–more like 1200 sq. m.

There are three salt colors–pink, gray and white. It fetches the same price and the quality is equal, but maybe a slightly different taste.

We saw men digging the basins–such hard work whether a deep or shallow one.  Women gather the salt with baskets or just use their hands.  Imagine yourself standing in a knee-deep saline solution!  Imagine digging one of these basins–having to throw the clay-like soil up and out of the basin!  We were able to watch several basins being harvested.

One knows when it is time to harvest the pink salt when the water turns a reddish color.  I guess the other colors have water that turn gray or white.   Our basins will be harvested in March.  It is expected that our storage crib will be filled twice a year off the harvests.

After our visit, we began the journey back to Port au Prince.  Even with an air conditioned van, it was a hot trip.  We were well packed in.  We ate lunch and then relaxed most of the time. Oh the men went out and began tuning up Pastor’s car by changing spark plugs and air filter, and caulking around the sun roof to keep it from leaking.  I think they want to try and do something with the fan belts at another time.

The men went for a walk to see George, a man who owns a little corner store. We have befriended this sightless man for a number of years.  He lost a number of fingers during a robbery where a machete was used on them.

There is a kitten in the yard here.  I have been making friends with it–not touching it, but talking to it and seeing that some water is out for it. The male helper here takes the cat inside with him at night.  I sure am glad to hear that.