Francisville cookies
My update of a few days ago did not include one extremely important project that I wanted to cover separately. This is a production and training center that we named in honor of St Francis of Asissi, called Francisville. The motto for this endeavor is “works of justice are works of peace.”
Francisville is envisioned to be a place where we produce what we and other missionaries need, of good quality and good price, and the production is intended to be also training. Many of the Francisville staff had training in Italy for all the pre-quake activities: producing cement block, baking of bread, a print shop producing our hospital forms and school materials, and preparation to open a vehicle mechanic shop. During the earthquake, we used the damage building to continue and even accelerate bread production to help combat hunger, and the warehouses of Francisville were an important base for the many containers of aid shipped to us from many countries, and also as a storage base for the Italian Civil Protection.
Marco with his apprentices
In the last six months, we have repaired most of the Francisville buildings and the perimeter walls, and we have begun the foundation for a huge warehouse area, and have increased our production to include cobblestone for making roads, and pasta to go with the bread in battling hunger. We will soon open a sewing center there, to make clothes, especially school uniforms.
Francisville runs at no expense to NPH Italy, NPH Haiti, or any NPH affiliate. The St Luke program manages Francisville as a mission cooperative, paying for the production often through grants, and donating the profit to NPFS Haiti.
Since January 2010 we have produced 950,000 small loaves of bread, 32,000 cement block, 4,000 cobblestone, and 360,000 printed forms. Most of the bread is used for the poor, some sold to restaurants and other charitable organizations. The block is used to help people rebuild their homes, missionaries rebuild their missions, and to rebuild Francisville itself. We just started the cobblestone and have not yet used it for paving. The printed matter is mostly for our hospital and 24 schools. The net profit to NPH Haiti over the last six months was US$ 32,116.
We are very proud of the progress of this creative and life generating center, managed by Nebez Augustin and Father Fhito Randal. We are especially grateful for the enthusiastic help from NPH Italy.
Other projects to be realized in the near future for NPFS Haiti include the construction of a trade school (by the government of Mexico) for our young adults from NPH, housing for the same students, and a secondary school (by Artists for Peace and justice) for the young adults of NPH and the St Luke program.
Again, thanks for your encouragement, prayer and support. It is important at this moment of Haiti’s history that help to the country be immediate, generous, concrete and involve forming young people through education and enterprise.
Best regards and God Bless you,
Fr Rick Frechette CP
July 22, 2010
Port au Prince
