OUANAMINTHE, Haiti -- Cillian Twomey is an eminent doctor, a geriatrician in his native Ireland. So what is he doing here, in this bleak, sweltering Haitian border town?

Unstopping toilets, for one. Laying bricks. Working a paintbrush. And paying for the privilege.

``I'm kind of a schizophrenic participant,'' joked the 62-year-old plumber/painter/bricklayer/physician. ``I am not sure what I am.''

Twomey is part of a crew of men and women -- 260 strong, all the way from Ireland -- who are helping Haitians take destiny into their own hands, by transforming 14 acres of rugged terrain into a cluster of 200 concrete block homes, each with two bedrooms, an open-plan living room, a flushing toilet, a shower and a kitchen.

As Haitian politicians last week fought for power, perfect strangers were helping to change lives 200 miles away in this remote northeast border town. And they were doing it the old-fashioned way: with no heavy machinery, only manual saws, handmade concrete blocks and hand-dug trenches. Several volunteers collapsed from the heat.

`BACK TO BASICS'

``It's back to basics, but everyone is chipping in and pulling together,'' said Laura Turkington, a corporate responsibility manager who is among the 80 women and 180 men who responded to the pitch across Ireland by Haven, a foundation set up to build houses for Haiti's poor.

The foundation was started by Leslie Buckley, an Irish businessman and vice chairman of Digicel, the largest cellphone company in Haiti.

While not the first to build homes here, Haven's approach is unique: Each of the volunteers had to raise $5,000 toward the project's $1.35 million cost, and instead of living in hotels, they spent the week sleeping on the site. ``People were very generous, especially when they realized you were going out yourself to do it,'' said Niamh Mansfield, a newlywed. She and her husband Derek Kilbride, 35, skipped their honeymoon, opting to travel to Haiti to build houses.

``It's a week of hard work, but to know that a family has been housed after this, is a real sense of satisfaction,'' she said. ``It's unbelievable.''

With Ireland enduring one of the worst recessions in Europe, volunteers and Haven staff concede it wasn't easy raising money. They got creative: packing bags at grocery stores, hosting tea parties. Three friends even lived in a ``Haven'' shack during a weekend festival to raise awareness and money.

Some are between jobs, like 26-year-old Ted Duffy.

``If you can work with your hands, you can help someone,'' said the unemployed mechanic, who raised money by organizing a tea party, a barbecue and a music night at a local club.

Others run their own companies and charitable efforts, including Irish manufacturer Stephen Grant, who supports developmental efforts on Haiti's southern coast along with a group of Irish entrepreneurs. There are several veteran do-gooders in the group, including 49-year-old Rosaleen Butterly, a mother of four who marked her 12th charitable trip abroad. The oldest volunteer is 70; the youngest, 15.

``It's a real eye opener,'' said Ciaran Brennan, the 15-year-old. He was here on his midterm break from school.

To prepare for the volunteers' arrival, Haven hired local contractors and construction workers earlier this year to lay the foundation. When volunteers arrived, they found semi-detached homes sprawled out on 14 acres of a hilly terrain in various stages of completion. Some needed painting, others plastering, floors and roofs.

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