On Jan. 8, years of collaborative work by Sister Cities Essex Haiti (SCEH) and the Organization Pour Development Economique et Social (ODES) culminated with the grand opening of the Bibliyotèk de Communitaire de Deschapelles, a community library for the residents of Deschapelles, Haiti.

Jenifer Grant, a co-founder of SCEH who has family ties to Haiti, was in Deschappelles at the time of the opening, which was celebrated with speeches, a marching band, tours, and more.

After founding SCEH and partnering with ODES, “the first request they had was for a library,” said Grant. “It took us a while to get a place to put it and has taken longer to build than one might anticipate, but thanks to a lot of enthusiasm from folks up here and hard work from the people in Haiti, it is almost complete. The opening was wonderful and there was so much happiness.”

According to its website sistercitiesessexhaiti.org, “Sister Cities Essex Haiti was created in the spring of 2010 by a group of dedicated residents in the town of Essex with the support of the selectmen. Its mission is to sustain partnerships with the people of Deschapelles, Haiti, which expand educational and cultural opportunities. Its vision is to envision the community of Deschapelles flourishing educationally and culturally.”

Terry Parkinson, the president of the Board of the Essex Library, was asked to chair the library committee for SCEH. She noted that the need for the library stemmed from the local students needing a place to study as they would often study under the outdoor lights at the hospital as most homes do not have electricity.

“This seemed like a perfect project to get involved with and what started as a one- to two-year commitment expanded to six years,” said Parkinson. “For many in Haiti, getting by day to day was the primary goal in life. I always believed education is a useful tool for getting out of poverty. Even if [the Haitian families] don’t have a lot of money, they try to send their children to school. What started as trying to find a place to study not under streetlights of the hospital ended with a whole beautiful building being built.

“It’s not simple in Haiti,” Parkinson said, “but it’s doable.”

Parkinson and SCEH, along with their Haitian partners, faced several challenges along the way, but many people have stepped up to help in the efforts. SCEH obtained the land in February 2012, sought grants, and designed the building, a service that was donated by local architect Hope Proctor. Construction began in March 2013, progressing over the next several years.

Members of the community began to use parts of the library in November 2015 as work toward completion continued. Another challenge the committee faced was filling the shelves of the library. Haitians’ primary language is Creole.

“We were lucky that, through research, we found a publisher that printed books in Creole,” said Parkinson. “It’s a great step as they can learn to read in their own language before moving on to French. In Haiti, books are precious and it’s not common to have books in your home. American children don’t realize how lucky they are and the things they take for granted.”

In addition to stocking the shelves with books, the library also has a variety of other learning tools, such as puzzles, games, and toys. The library will be staffed by trained librarians. FOKAL—an independent foundation in Haiti that provides a range of educational, human development, and economic activities to the local communities—provided training to two librarians, who then trained the other three librarians.

“The library is very professionally organized,” said Grant. “The librarians were very excited to give tours to the guests. There are areas for students to study, a children’s section, an adults’ section, a computer area, and more.”

The library, which is decorated with Haitian art, is still off the grid so there is only currently generator power. The building is still waiting to get batteries and inverters that will allow it to stay powered at all times. The library will also host a variety of programming, including cultural and academic presentations, concerts, and more. The staff at the nearby Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (founded by Grant’s parents) will also use the space for presentations.

“People are very excited about it,” said Grant. “There is a mural of recognition of some of our donors, particularly those in Haiti, so that is important. We have a great team down there and a wonderful team up here. This library is going to make a huge difference to the community.”

Parkinson also stressed the importance of the collaboration between the Sister Cities, various organizations, and volunteers. She is excited about the potential that a resource such as a library can bring to a community.

“There are so many wonderful, hard-working people in Haiti, and with the library, they feel like they’re getting a little step up in life,” said Parkinson. “We’ve given them guidance, helped fund this, donated countless hours of time, and made sure there are library has books and other resources. Our emphasis as an organizatoin has always been collaboration. Hopefully we’re making a difference and this project will have a long-term impact.”

For information, visit sistercitiesessexhaiti.org.