A DREAM became reality for caring Troon clergyman Richard Woods when he made a return to Haiti in the summer.

Four years after he launched a campaign to build a new primary school in the Caribbean country, construction work has already begun on the project in Ouanaminthe.

However Seagate Church Pastor Richard and his charity Mission International will not stop there and ultimately hope more schools can be builtin other parts of the country.

Richard returned late last month from a visit to the site with Rev Canon Tom Montgomery from St Ninian’s Episcopal Church. He said: “We were there for a couple of week. We had a fabulous time. It’s really good. We’ve been fundraising and asking people to support us raise money for a school, which is phase one, and a church which is phase two.

“The church is now 65 to 70 percent completed, work started in early June. We h ave employed local Haitians to build the school so that we keep any money we raise in the community.

“We are paying them for their work and the materials.

“The building is now up and there will be eight classrooms, a head teacher’s office, a secur ity guard’s office and we hope there will be a ninth classroom and a kitchen.

“There will be 35 to 40 children in each class, a maximum of about 320. We hope it will be open in early 2019.

“There is still a perimeter wall to be built and toilets have to be fitted.”

The charity are hoping to secure more funding.

Richard said: “We are asking people rather than sponsoring individual children to sponsor the school and the money they gave would go directly to the school.

“This would enable the pastor and teachers to provide education for as little money as possible.

“We are also asking people to help us purchase a generator as in this part of Haiti there is no mains electricity.

“That will cost between £5,000 and £6,000 to enable all the functions of the school to happen.

“If anyone would like to help us do that it would be amazing. We are asking people to consider paying £20 a month so that they are helping the school.”

People who would like to help the Haiti project should contact: richardwoods@seagatechurch.org.uk