Elizabeth House is three stories high and the foundation one story deep in the ground. It has been built under the supervision of the Haitian Director and his people on site. Elizabeth Place is close to 6,000 sq ft and we have done this for under $300K. Built for safety, the concrete is all re bar reinforced and hand mixed, hand placed on-site. When finished, it will accommodate 50 children of all ages.
When the earth quake hit, the orphanage that we were supporting was completely destroyed. There were over 100 children there, but because they were outside for prayer and singing before dinner, almost everyone was spared. After the destruction of the orphanage, the Ministry of Presence decided to use the extra space behind the House of Presence to build Elizabeth House.
While floors one, two, and three are completed inside and being used, there is still some work to be done. To provide more consistent power, EP is off-grid using solar panels. We only have a third of the panels needed for when the house fills up with Children. We still need the third floor completed which has been slowed due to poor quality of local materials. Finally, the outside needs to be stuccoed, sealed and painted.
Elizabeth Place is being built for the children. We do not think it is in the best interest to open the compound at the HOP to the public at large. We provide space for clinics and gatherings at Sabon and within the compound with permission only from the Haitian director. At this juncture, we do believe Elizabeth Place should be limited to its intended residential use for the children and training for future employees and health related matters at the direction of the Haitian Director.
Elisabeth Place will also be used for ESIEB Nursing School under the direction of Eben Ezer Hospital beginning October 2019.