butare

i hope i am spelling the name of this village correctly. this was the second hospital site we visited. the current health clinic is being completely rebuilt into a full-fledge hospital. it is at 9,000 foot elevation and the effort to get building materials to it is a significant feat. they have crews working 24/7 to complete it in as short of a timeframe as humanly possibly. and since it is almost all being done by human power, and not machinery, it makes it all the more incredible. a very young woman, maybe 35 years old, is the project lead. her experience in haiti landed her this monumental assignment.

in the pictures HERE, you will notice the intricate puzzle piece type building blocks. these are hand-chiseled chunks of volcanic rock. all pieced together in a perfect fashion. and you would be remiss if you didn't 'oooh' and 'aahhh' at the scaffolding. whatever, it works.

and ladies, notice the women off to the side in picture #547 with their digging tools. yip, churning up and preparing the building site. let's all together now say, 'quit our whining!!!'