The flyer features a conversation between two cartoon characters named Djo and Anet, speaking in Creole. Anet's basically informing Djo what's going on. Brett Ferguson, an intern working with Architecture for Humanity in Haiti, brought me up to speed on the drawn-up duo:
"The flyer came out of a suggestion from the two zone heads
(community representatives) in the area. This is part of a sensitization initiative to inform people
about what is happening to the school, some information around it (who
it is for, the benefits to the community, etc.) to help avoid problems
from within the community during construction."
It's amazing what a little heads-up can do. It was a team effort from the start–pairing the Rebuilding Center's Haitian outreach officers with a couple of self-styled "étranger" cartoonists (and Rebuilding Center volunteers).
"Our community outreach leads - Sony and Laneau - wrote the text after having numerous discussions with some of the people from the area...and from the experience they gained during other projects such as the Villa Rosa community engagement project. Two of our volunteers - Tyler Wied and Radim Tkadlec - did the drawings, digitization, coloring and layout. The flyers were distributed to the community by the two zone heads," Brett relates.
"We'll do a follow up with [the zone heads] at some point to see how it all played out, but I did see people carrying them around before we even left the site…"
It's amazing what a little heads-up can do. It was a team effort from the start–pairing the Rebuilding Center's Haitian outreach officers with a couple of self-styled "étranger" cartoonists (and Rebuilding Center volunteers).
"Our community outreach leads - Sony and Laneau - wrote the text after having numerous discussions with some of the people from the area...and from the experience they gained during other projects such as the Villa Rosa community engagement project. Two of our volunteers - Tyler Wied and Radim Tkadlec - did the drawings, digitization, coloring and layout. The flyers were distributed to the community by the two zone heads," Brett relates.
"We'll do a follow up with [the zone heads] at some point to see how it all played out, but I did see people carrying them around before we even left the site…"
"Many of the people involved in this project believe that this type of effort is key to avoiding issues during construction [theft, threats, etc.]. I also strongly believe that this type of engagement needs to be ongoing during the entire project timeline."
Best of luck on that front Brett–it's not exactly "architecture," but it's also CERTAINLY architecture. How successful could your designs be if they're not taken advatage of by a knowledgable community, or supported by that community through construction? This is another instance of where the "traditional" profession is borrowing other talents to build the best way possible in Haiti.
Find below the flyer pages; you can click on them to get a larger version. Try following along in Creole--there are a lot of similarities to English-and even more to French.
Djo: Where's the school?
Anet: The school is in Delmas 18 (a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince off Route de Delmas), Sanfil Street.
Djo: What advantage does rebuilding Argentine School bring to the area?
Anet: There will be huge advantages: promoting secondary education and preventing children from going to a far away school. That will benefit both parents and students.
Djo: Will there be spaces useful for other activities?
Anet: Surely! The school will be used to inform the population in sensitization, training ("formation" in French) as well as cultural and sport activities in order to improve the quality of life in the area.
Djo: What institutions will rebuild the school?
Anet: An institution called A.P.L. - Achitekti pou limanite will do the work.
Satellite image of school, before the earthquake.
The post-earthquake situation. The blue and white squares are tarps covering tent houses...including on the school site.
From the site assessment from last year. The standing school building has been demolished and squatters have been relocated too.
Architecture for Humanity's Master. Note how the new school buildings will preserve the old courtyards and add plantings and pathways.
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