Building Homes and Hope in Haiti
Habitat has set a goal of serving 50,000 families over the next five years.
Updates
"Men anpil chay pa lou" in action!
"Men Anpil Chay Pa Lou" is a Haitian Creole proverb that means, "Many Hands Make The Load Lighter." I have been wearing a t-shirt with this phrase on it for a while now, both because I liked the sentiment in general, and because when I bought it from Threadless some money somehow went to rebuilding efforts in Haiti. The phrase became the title of my fundraising appeal as I began to prepare for this trip a few months ago because I thought it was rather appropriate. Was it ever...
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Haiti, here we come!!
Wow. It's finally here. Departure day. I'm really excited, and eager to see what lies ahead. I've just had an awesome week with El Mejor Grupo - a fabulous group of individuals who were some of the hardest working and hilariously silly folks I've ever met. We had a blast, and got a ton of work done on our 2 worksites - the foundations are laid! The walls are ready to be built! Woo hoo!! I'm so impressed with the amount of work we got done, and the especially with the incredibly...
Nearly on the road to Haiti... and ever learning
On the plane over from Costa Rica to the Dominican Republic in prep for our trip, I took a deep breath and a break from team logistics to read up more on Habitat Haiti facts. In a few minutes we have a little interview here in the DR. Which makes me realize that the need in Haiti is not entirely old news to the outside world. Encouraging.
There are many things about our upcoming trip that are not considered a typical Habitat experience. But then again, what’s “typical” about any...
Habitat's hard at work in Guatemala and beyond!!
I've just spent a week in Guatemala on a Habitat Global Village trip, and it made my upcoming trip to Haiti feel very real. (That, plus it starts really soon!!) This trip to Guatemala has been a good reminder of the great work that Habitat does, and how it is a PERMANENT solution to housing inadequacies. The group I traveled with has been going to Guatemala once, twice, or even three times a year for the past 7 years, starting when I worked there and hosted them. Their commitment to...
Video: Santo community members provide input into the design of Habitat's new permanent housing development.
Check out this cool video produced by our partner, Architecture for Humanity. We are working together to bring homes, infrastructure and community services to the Santo community in Léogâne. At the heart of our work is our collaboration with the community. They are involved every step of the way, including this design session (or charrette) where community members came together to provide input into how their new community would be layed out.
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Santo Blessing Event: A Great Success!
Today Habitat held its Santo blessing event in Léogâne. The event was a great opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of everyone to bring hope and homes to the local community. It was even more meaningful given today is the 18-month anniversary of the earthquake. Nearly 90 percent of all structures were damaged or destroyed in Léogâne and thousands left homeless. Many of those families attended today's event.
Blessings to all who are joining with Habitat to help...
Santo project site blessing event to take place tomorrow on the 18-month anniversary of the earthquake
Tomorrow on the 18-month anniversary of the earthquake, Habitat will join with community members, local partners and government officials to bless the Santo project site in Léogâne. The Mayor of Léogâne, Santos Alexis, will be there to help us celebrate and recognize the collective hard work, dedication and commitment of everyone to build homes and hope in his community.
The blessing event (Bénédiction de l’Evènement) will take place from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Claude Jeudy, Habitat...
A sense of urgency
In a recent article posted in The Guardian, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter suggests we need to view housing, not as a dream, but a basic, human necessity.
A necessity that is urgently unfulfilled for many, but that many of us have the resources to help provide. A necessity that every person should have the right to have a shot at.
"When we understand the magnitude of housing needs and their different forms in communities worldwide, we will recognize that as more fortunate...
Porque quiero ir a Haiti...
Desde hace mucho tiempo, estaba pensando ser parte de una brigada de voluntarios. Trabajo con HFH El Salvador desde inicios del 2007 y nunca he tenido la oportunidad de experimentar que se siente estar del otro lado de la moneda, estar en primera fila en la transformación de vidas tanto de voluntarios, como de familias. Después de involucrarme en la participación de mas de 400 grupos de voluntarios internacionales en mi país, es ahora cuando tengo la oportunidad de participar del primer...
Habitat's prototype house for the Santo community is under construction!
Habitat's core house prototype for the Santo community is now under construction. Once complete, community members will provide their feedback as part of Habitat's community engagement process. We are making progress and getting closer to building homes for 100 families during the Carter Work Project!
Photos
Summary
Habitat aims to serve 50,000 families in this earthquake-ravaged country over the next five years.
The need:
When a magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 12, 2010, the impact was catastrophic. About 105,000 homes were destroyed, and more than 208,000 were damaged. The situation worsened in the months that followed, as Haiti suffered through Hurricane Tomas, a cholera outbreak and post-election unrest. After these back-to-back disasters, the numbers of death and loss have only grown.
The cost of rebuilding homes, jobs and lives is estimated at US$11.5 billion. More than a million people were forced to live in makeshift tents in metropolitan Port-au-Prince, and more than 600,000 sought shelter in the countryside and in other towns. Many families have been torn apart. Many children are now orphans with few or no resources.
The solution:
Habitat for Humanity Haiti has set a goal of serving 50,000 families over the next five years. With the support of partner organizations and donors, Habitat already has helped more than 2,500 families with transitional or upgradable shelters, distributed more than 24,000 emergency shelter kits, and hired more than 200 Haitians atHabitat Resource Centers to help in the rebuilding effort.
The 2011 and 2012 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Projects will take place in Haiti, bringing hundreds of volunteers from around the world to build homes and renew public awareness about the critical need for adequate shelter. The goal of the 2011 Carter Work Project — Nov. 6-ll — is to build 100 core houses of concrete block and wood with metal roofs in the Santo subdivision in Léogâne, just 18 miles from Port-au-Prince.
How you can help:
With your support, Habitat will build earthquake- and hurricane-resistant housing, as well as repair damaged homes. Our Habitat Resource Centers will offer training for local workers and support small construction-related businesses. Please consider donating and spread the word to your friends and family. Whatever amount you can contribute will go a long way toward improving the lives of many Haitians. Interested in the cost of sheltering a Haitian family?
- $1,100 to $2,200 will help repair a damaged home.
- $1,500 to $3,000 will help build a recyclable or upgradable transitional shelter.
- $5,000 to $7,000 will help build a core house.
About Habitat for Humanity in Haiti:
Habitat has been at work in Haiti for 27 years. Prior to the earthquake, Habitat had provided more than 2,000 families in Haiti with housing solutions, including new homes, progressive building, and home repairs and improvements. To learn more about Habitat’s work in Haiti or about the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, check out these links:
- Habitat for Humanity in Haiti: habitat.org/haiti.
- Donate to the Haiti rebuilding effort: habitat.org/cd/giving/donate.aspx?link=227.
- The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project: habitat.org/how/default_jcwp.aspx.