Haiti Update - How Your Donations and HFH Canada are helping in Haiti

On January 12, 2010 an earthquake rocked Haiti, changing the country's landscape forever. Habitat for Humanity was quick to join in the recovery efforts: it set a goal of serving 50,000 earthquake-affected families over the next five years- helping build homes and restore hope.

Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and Leogane, Jacmel and Petit Goave were among the hardest hit. Damages are estimated at US$8 billion. About 105,000 homes were destroyed and more than 208,000 damaged, leaving 1.5 million people homeless. Countless families have been separated and children orphaned. Some 1.3 million people are living in temporary shelters in and around Port-au-Prince and more than 600,000 have sought shelter in the countryside and in other towns. The cost of rebuilding homes, jobs and lives in the region is estimated at US$11.5 billion.

Habitat already had a number of Habitat Resource Centres (HRCs) in Haiti. These centres provide community building and construction services. In response to the earthquake, Habitat is establishing new HRCs in Cabaret, Leogane, Carrefour and Jacmel. Habitat for Humanity Canada is assuming responsibility for the Jacmel HRC.

These centres will identify gaps in the response and reconstruction efforts and develop programs to address them. Habitat is committed to working closely with affected families, giving them the tools and materials they need to rebuild their houses- and lives- for the long term.

Families are in desperate need of decent shelter as the spring rainy season approaches and hurricanes threaten to soak the region this summer and fall. Habitat is helping families remove or recycle debris and construct transitional shelters with wood or steel frames set in concrete footings. These shelters have corrugated galvanized iron roofs and include earthquake and hurricane-resistant features. The wood is recyclable and the steel can be reused in permanent shelters.

Carbaret, Haiti transitional shelter - April 2010

Interior of HFHI shelter in Carbaret, Haiti - April 2010

There are many challenges that come with housing reconstruction efforts: establishing security of land tenure, finding land, skilled labour and material, and ensuring the proper infrastructure is in place are among them. Habitat's reconstruction solutions include repairing houses, building multi-family housing units, and designing and planning whole communities.

Habitat also plans to build 'core houses'- single-room shelters to which more rooms can be added in the future. The design of these structures reflects traditional Haitian culture. These permanent shelters are made of concrete block and have a floor, roof, door, window and porch. They're all equipped with earthquake-resistant structural features and offer living space for a family of five.

The reconstruction effort in Haiti will be an enormous undertaking, but Habitat for Humanity is poised to do its part. Make your contribution to the cause Donations can be made at habitat.ca