Folks,
The nine young people in the Reforestation Mentoring program are exhausted. Just exhausted. And you can understand why.
They are out on the mountainside below the Depot preparing the land for planting. This is the wicked tough part of the job because the soil is as hard and dry as a rock. If I ever ran into hard and dry soil in my garden back in Virginia, I would turn on the hose and soak the earth. There is no such thing here in Haiti.
The four men use pickaxes to break up the soil. The five women use shovels to dig the dirt out and create the ramps.
The CODEP process requires such ramps — which are like canals — in order to trap and store rainwater that would otherwise run straight down the mountain. Planted between the ramps is Vetiver grass with deep roots to slow erosion and hold the dirt in place. Once the grass is established, the seedlings can go in.
This is the extraordinary story of CODEP. The promise of trees, a $25 monthly stipend, and sheer grit motivate nine young Haitians. It is humbling for the rest of us.
Michael Anello
Executive Director
Putting her back into the work.
Digging together along one of the ramps.
It takes a pick axe to chip at the dirt. Think of this as surface mining!
Still a long ways to go to prepare for 3000 seedlings!