Haiti: Vulnerable families to receive vitally needed assistance in remote, mountainous Côtes-de-Fer region.
Medair will construct 250 permanent homes in Côtes-de-Fer and repair an additional 750 homes to make them more resistant to hurricanes and earthquakes. The team will also improve access to water supplies and latrines and train people in healthy hygiene behaviours.
Although 16 months have passed since Haiti’s massive earthquake shook and scarred this island nation, people are still without safe shelter. In Côtes-de-Fer, communities suffered extensive damage but they have received minimal assistance, in part because of their isolation.
“With its mountainous terrain and rivers, there are few passable roads to Côtes-de-Fer,” said John Fixsen, Medair Shelter Manager. “In rural areas, it’s rare to see more than two or three other vehicles per day. And when there are heavy rains, the river levels rise and the area can become completely cut off.”
When a Medair team visited the area, they found that most homes had sustained damage from the earthquake, with families now crowding into one-room shelters or living in dangerously precarious homes. One man was living in a tent inside his damaged house, another was living in a space the size of a chicken coop.
Medair also met Linante, mother of 10 children, all of whom were living in a small room beside the ruins of their abandoned home. Their makeshift roof was covered in torn plastic sheeting that leaked when it rained, leaving Linante’s children sick with fever from the wet living conditions. “Since the earthquake, Medair is the first NGO that came to talk to us about our housing needs,” said Linante.
Côtes-de-Fer has high levels of poverty that make it very difficult for people to rebuild their homes. Children can walk for hours to collect water, and open defecation is widely practiced—a dangerous practice in a country still battling a deadly cholera outbreak. Furthermore, there is very little employment here, and the earthquake only made matters worse. “The local community grows just enough food to survive and if there is a bad season, people starve,” said Francoeur Dalexis, Mayor of Gris-gris.
Given the severity of the situation and the remoteness of the area, Medair has committed to work in Côtes-de-Fer for an extensive 30-month project. The NGO will train, mentor, and supply materials that will improve shelter, water, and sanitation for the most vulnerable families, while also providing short-term income for local residents who carry out the work.
“The lack of access to clean, potable water, coupled with the threat of cholera, makes this a vital project for Côtes-de-Fer,” said James McDowell, Medair WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) Project Manager. “It is estimated that almost 5,000 people have died in Haiti since the earthquake due to the cholera outbreak and the disease is still a threat.”
Côtes-de-Fer residents travel for hours each day just to gather water. Medair will provide safe water sources that are closer to home, saving people countless hours that can be better spent going to school or earning an income.
“We saw some girls with jerry cans strapped to their backs on the road, going to collect water from streams,” said Florance, a Haitian translator working for Medair. “Without water you can’t cook, drink, you can’t do anything. There are no words to express how important it is.”
Medair’s project will place a heavy emphasis on training and capacity building in order to strengthen the level of knowledge in the community and help safeguard people against future disasters.
“People here are willing to work, willing to learn, and willing to help each other,” said Vanessa Nicholson, Medair Field Communications Officer. “It is extremely encouraging to know that we will be rebuilding and repairing homes but also to know that the community will be left with more than just structures.”
_______________________________________________________________
Medair arrived on-the-ground in Haiti within days of the devastating 12 January 2010 earthquake. To date, Medair has constructed 2,582 safer shelters, housing 15,492 people in Jacmel and the surrounding rural areas. The shelter project in Jacmel continues until July 2011, made possible by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and supported by private donors.
The views expressed in this media release are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.
Spread the word: 
