Haiti and Habitat - One Year Later

In response to the earthquake, Habitat Haiti has been able to achieve the following:

•        More than 21,000 emergency shelter kits are in the hands of people who needed them most. The kits included tools—hammers, pliers, chisels, work gloves, rope and tarps—that have allowed Haitians to clean up debris, do basic repairs and create emergency shelter. In addition, more than 3,300 emergency shelter kits have been stockpiled, ready to distribute quickly whenever disaster strikes again.

•        More than 1,000 families have received recyclable transitional or upgradable shelters, with a total of 2,000 scheduled to be completed by the end of January 2011. Transitional shelters are constructed so they can be dismantled easily and relocated. Upgradable shelters can be turned into permanent homes.

•        More than 2,000 housing damage assessments have been conducted. Assessments help determine which structures can be made safe and which need to be torn down, making way for new, permanent shelters.

•        More than 500 Haitians have been trained in seismic resistant construction techniques.

•        More than 200 Haitians have been hired by the Habitat Resource Centers to help in Habitat construction activities. In a nation with an unemployment rate of 60 percent, job opportunities are a crucial part of rebuilding.

For ongoing updates on Habitat’s Haiti recovery program, please follow Habitat Haiti on Facebook and Twitter (@habitatinhaiti).

Thank you for your support of Habitat Haiti. We are committed to serving 50,000 earthquake-affected families and are grateful for the continued partnership of affiliates across the United States.  Let’s keep the momentum going in 2011!

Emailed to us by:
Mark Andrews, Vice President, Haiti Recovery
Habitat for Humanity International

How you can help

• View a slideshow of information on ways you can help: Building Hope in Haiti: One Year Later.
• Donate to support Habitat’s efforts to rebuild in Haiti.
• Get ready to volunteer. To be notified when Habitat begins recruiting volunteers, take the Haiti volunteer interest survey. This survey will collect your demographic and basic skills information and will sign you up for a periodic e-mail with updates regarding Habitat's response in Haiti.
• Learn about even more ways you can help Haiti.