In October, 2018, Lespwa Lavi hired a design team from Engineering Ministries International Canada (EMI Canada) to travel to design a conceptual master plan for Lespwa Lavi Academy. In February, 2019 EMI brought a multi-disciplinary team of volunteer design professionals, led by two EMI staff architects, to Verrettes to learn about the Lespwa Lavi vision, evaluate the project site, and investigate local construction practices in the area. Through the end of June, 2019, EMI continued to refine the master plan as their largest project of the year.

The purpose of the construction project is to enable Lespwa Lavi to achieve its goal of providing the highest standards of education, professional soccer training, and Christ-centered discipleship to primary and secondary students in and around rural Verrettes, as well as to provide spiritual and medical outreach to the community of Verrettes through the establishment of a church, clinic, and supporting facilities. New construction is necessary to ensure the buildings will withstand earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding. Every building in this project is designed to meet earthquake building codes used in the United States. The facility will also be used as a hurricane and flood shelter, something currently unavailable in the area. Phase 1 of the project will include a church, two school buildings, a multipurpose room and kitchen, an administration building, a soccer complex and a guesthouse.

Not only will the construction project provide beautiful new buildings designed to meet the needs of the community, it will also create over fifty new jobs and provide local Haitian workers with professional training in construction trades.

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Church

With a Phase 1 design to seat 500 and room for expansion, the church will be one of the largest buildings in Verrettes. Originally planned to seat 300, the current church congregation is flourishing and the plans were amended to accommodate what God is doing! The church will be located at the entrance to the Lespwa Lavi complex, overlooking the valley below. During the week the building will serve a dual purpose as the chapel and event center for the school. With a full basement, steel and concrete construction, this facility will be open as a hurricane shelter during flood season.

Soccer Complex

With a regulation size soccer field, locker rooms, plumbing and lighting that conforms to FIFA standards, the soccer complex will host regulation matches that will bring attention and jobs to Verrettes. The stadium will also be used as a practice facility for Magic Soccer Academy Verrettes, the soccer academy affiliated with Lespwa Lavi. This Academy has been flourishing since 2013, gaining the attention and sponsorship of FIFA and the Haitian Soccer Federation. The soccer program is closely tied to the school, working together to raise up confident, hard-working leaders with the drive to excel.

This is the overview rendering of the academy complex from the EMI team.

School

Phase 1 will include the secondary school classrooms for grades 9-12, with plans to build a primary school building shortly after. Each building will consist of eight classrooms, seating 20 students each. The smaller classroom size is unique in accordance with Lespwa Lavi’s high educational standards. Each grade level will have two classes after Phase 1 is complete. Eventually in Phase 2, there will be four classes of 20 students for each grade. The curriculum will meet university standards for any nation Lespwa Lavi students may choose to travel to, including classes such as French, English, physics, chemistry, biology, environmental science, government and economics, history, geography, health, philosophy, business, computer science, art and music.

Resource Building

A shared building for all classes, this state of the art facility will include a library, computer and media center, and modern science lab.

Multipurpose Building

With seating for 150, during the week this area will function as a lunch room for the school and on Sundays as a fellowship hall for the church. It includes bathrooms and handwashing stations, an industrial sized kitchen and food storage. Through valued partnerships, Lespwa Lavi will be providing 100% of needed daily nutrition to each of the students.

Administration Building

This office building will accommodate offices for the school, soccer academy and church. A shared conference room is included.

Clinic

Designed by physicians after conducting several mobile clinics in the area, this facility will be built in Phase 3. The facility includes a waiting area, two exam rooms, a maternity room, a procedure/dental room and a pharmacy.

Guesthouse

Integral to the vision of Lespwa Lavi is to share experiences with international teams and professionals from other parts of Haiti who contribute their skills to the project and learn from their Haitian cohorts. Providing a safe and comfortable place to stay when traveling to Verrettes is a top priority. The guesthouse will be located at the upper part of the complex, separated from the main area by a beautiful natural ravine.

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Construction Plan