Stone by stone: work is progressing

Even more than one year after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, numerous buildings are still severely damaged or are completely destroyed in many places. Besides our extensive programmes for medical follow-up treatment for the earthquake victims, as well as for fighting the still spreading cholera epidemic, humedica is also planning to help the population of the island state overcome the crisis by means of four large construction projects.

Progress in the humedica reconstruction projects is obvious. Photo: humedica

For several months, humedica has been supporting the reconstruction of various social institutions in three locations in Haiti. These buildings were damaged severely during the earthquake last year and they have not been in use since then.

Furthermore, humedica is constructing a prosthetics and orthotics workshop on the premises of the “Hospital of Hope” in Port-au-Prince.

This workshop is built in order to grant production of and supply with prosthetics and orthotics in the region on the long term.

The efforts and time-consuming preparations made by the humedica team members in charge in Haiti and Germany are bearing ever more fruit. Our coordinator in Haiti, Caroline Klein, and construction coordinator André Lannoo have reported about how the work is progressing.

A school for Marbial

The way to Marbial in the southeast of Haiti is long and hard. As there is no road leading to this place, you have to follow a riverbed in order to reach the village. The local school was destroyed during the earthquake and therefore lessons have been taking place in the open on the school premises ever since.

Many of the 550 students attending Marbial school walk a distance of two hours per day in order to take part in the lessons.

Supported by the foundation Sternstunden e.V., works for the reconstruction of the school have started in Marbial. In the meantime, the construction site has been fully equipped with all necessary material and machines.

All people’s strength goes into building a new school for Marbial. Photo: humedica/Caroline Klein

The building team has already removed the old foundations of the damaged buildings and has started laying new foundations for the future school buildings.

Besides a primary school, also a secondary school, as well as a kindergarten and a computer room will be built. Further parts of the building are to house a dining hall, an administrative wing and sanitation.

As the school premises are located up the sides of the surrounding hills, existing terraces have been enlarged and underpinned in order to decrease the risk of landslides going off during heavy rainfalls or hurricanes. These levelled areas are the building ground for the planned buildings.

The orphanages of Tapio

The mountain village of Tapio is located at about one hour from Port-au-Prince. There, Haitian priests of the community Ste. Therese de l’enfant Jesus are building a church, a hospital, a primary and a secondary school.

The property, which belongs to the parish community, provides enough space for the planned reconstruction of two orphanages and a canteen.

The Swabian company Roma KG supports humedica in our effort to reconstruct the buildings of the orphanage in Tapio. Plans are to build a house for about 40 boys and another one for about 30 girls.

Furthermore, one of the buildings is to be provided with a dining room that could also be used by the schools.

Contracts that lead into a better future. humedica coordinator Caroline Klein and Pater Bien Aimé. Photo: humedica.

Therefore, the fact that the necessary contract for starting the construction works has been signed recently is a reason for pride and joy among the responsible humedica employees and also for Pater Bien Aimé from Tapio.

As the currently prevailing living conditions are far from satisfying both for the children and for the Pater, the orphanages are urgently needed. For the time being the children have been divided into groups and they are living in tents or at other makeshift accommodation.

The conclusion of the contract enables us to build secure and comfortable accommodation. Of course, the Pater’s joy about the projects progressing is also shared by the children, who will no longer have to live at their makeshift accommodation.

And also the long bus trip to school, which takes one hour and has to be made even by the youngest students, will soon be history.

In the second part of our report about the reconstruction measures in Haiti you can read more about the work of humedica at the school of Meyer and the prosthetics and orthotics workshop in Port-au-Prince.

Dear friends and sponsors: please support our relief measures in the field of reconstruction in Haiti. Support from Germany is still important in order to offer help to those who are still suffering from the large-scale destruction caused by the earthquake.

You can make a great contribution by means of a targeted donation to the account below:

       humedica.e.V.
       Donation reference „Earthquake Haiti“
       Account 47 47
       Bank Code 734 500 00
       Sparkasse Kaufbeuren
       SWIFT/BIC-CODE: BYLADEM1KFB
       IBAN: 35734500000000004747

You can also support us in a secure, fast and simple way by means of sending a text message: send the reference DOC to +49 8 11 90. You will make a donation of five euros, with 4.83 euros of this amount being directly channelled into the humedica relief projects. You are also welcome to make a donation via our online form.
Thank you very much!