Habitat for Humanity

Haiti Build

The earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 damaged nearly 190,000 houses with 105,000 being completely destroyed. Of the more than 2 million affected survivors, 600,000 are still displaced and living in settlement sites with makeshift shelters.

Soon after the earthquake in Haiti, Habitat for Humanity set an audacious goal of serving 50,000 families over five years, helping them move toward safer, more secure, permanent places to call home.

Habitat's threefold plan begins with the distribution of emergency shelter kits that contain supplies to help families make immediate house repairs and construct temporary shelters on their home sites.

The contents of Habitat's kits include tarpaulins, rope, duct tape and a hammer, all used for building temporary shelters that help guard families against the elements. A chisel and a hacksaw help with salvaging materials from collapsed houses. Buckets are used for debris removal and for carrying water. Gloves and masks in the kits help provide protection during the cleanup. The kits were assembled in the Dominican Republic and in Atlanta, and were being distributed in earthquake-affected areas in Haiti. The emergency shelter kits cost approximately $250 a piece, including cost of transport to Haiti.

In the rehabilitation phase, Habitat for Humanity will help families remove debris, salvage materials that can be recycled, repair homes that received minimal damage and build transitional shelters that meet basic needs. Over time as conditions improve, Habitat's transitional shelters' materials eventually can be incorporated into permanent housing. These transitional shelters are expected to range in cost from $1,000 to $2,500.

Transitional shelters are constructed so they can be dismantled easily and relocated. Upgradable shelters can be turned into permanent homes.

In the reconstruction phase, Habitat will build core houses, each with a separate sanitation facility. These basic housing units are permanent and resistant to earthquakes and hurricanes. They are designed to be expanded over time by the homeowner families and meet international humanitarian standards. Depending on design adjustments according to context and the cost of materials in the earthquake's aftermath, the core houses will cost from $4,000 to $6,000 a piece.

One year after Haiti earthquake, Habitat's recovery program has benefited nearly 24,000 families.

Habitat for Humanity has:

• Assembled and distributed, working with our partners, more than 24,000 emergency shelter kits.
• Conducted 5,000 structural damage assessments to determine which structures can be made safe and which need to be torn down and replaced.
• Constructed nearly 2,500 transitional shelters. These shelters are constructed so families can upgrade to better homes as their finances improve.
• Trained more than 3,000 Haitians in rebuilding work including earthquake resistant construction techniques.
• Trained another 1,200 Haitians in financial literacy.

More than 700 Haitians have found job opportunities through Habitat Haiti's main office and Habitat Resource Centers. In a nation with an unemployment rate of 60 percent, job opportunities are a crucial part of rebuilding.

In 2011 and again in 2012, Habitat for Humanity International's Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project will be held in Haiti, helping to refocus the world's attention on the work that remains to be done. The back-to-back annual projects are a testimonial to Habitat's commitment -- and the Carters -- to serving families in Haiti. This year's work project will be November 6-13. 400 volunteers will build 100 homes. Each worker who sign's up for the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project will need to raise $5,000 to apply toward the cost of building a house.

To learn more about their plans and the progress Habitat for Humanity is making in the building of homes and hope in Haiti click here.