Beaumont - Students build a future for children in Haiti

Current News
After more than two years of break due to the pandemic, it was a special pleasure to be back on the construction site in Beaumont this summer and to put the plans of the past years into action! Now we are already looking forward to the next construction phase!
The latest news from Haiti and the progress of the construction site are regularly available on our blog! The new requirements are necessary, in order for us to construct two of the eight residential buildings.
 
 We are a diverse group of about 50 students from different faculties, who have gathered together to partake in the project "Beaumont" of "Engineers Without Borders Karlsruhe e.V.". Together with our partner organisation "Pwojè Men Kontre" we plan and implement the construction of an orphanage and a school in Beaumont.

Our Vision We provide children in Haiti with a perspective and with the means to independently take their lives into their own hands. As a result, the generation growing up, will not only shape its own future, but actively develop the entire country as well.

Our Goal By constructing a safe living, learning and working environment, we create the foundation for the relocation of the orphanage and school. Our reliable Haitian-German project partner on site will operate the facility and thus guarantee the long-term permanent access to affordable education.

Our Path We design, plan and build the entire new orphanage and school, by applying the hands-on skills acquired during our studies. The emerging earthquake- and storm-resistant buildings and the planned infrastructure offer not only a safe home for orphans, but also a place for them and other schoolchildren to learn.

Project Background
After completing our drinking water project at the MEVA school in Port-au-Prince, Dr. Anke Brügmann, the chairwoman of "Pwojè men kontre", invited us to Beaumont, located in the mountainous South of Haiti. We spent a few days in the orphanage to get an impression of the situation on-site. The self-sacrifice and dedication of Anke Brügmann for "her" orphans left us with a permanent mark and convinced us that fast and reliable help is needed urgently. The relocation to a new site is vital because on the one hand there is a severe lack of space on the previous site. On the other hand, the multi-lane national road, running directly adjacent to the orphanage, poses great dangers for the children daily. We want to provide the children with a quiet and safe environment, where they can grow up and go to school. In the future, the buildings that are left behind will be used as young people's training facilities.

Further information can be found at https://ewb-karlsruhe.de/?lang=en