Roofs over their heads: Transitional shelters for 15,000 vulnerable families

The Canadian Red Cross is training and hiring local workers to build transitional shelters in Léogâne.

"The minute I step into my house, I'm going to say a prayer," says Rose Sévère, a resident of Léogâne and a grandmother of 11 who lost her home in the earthquake of January 2010. Rose says that in her prayers she will thank the Canadian Red Cross and the Haitian workers―the ones who, with CIDA assistance and donations from Canadians, are building her new home.

The earthquake hit hard in Léogâne, destroying about 80 percent of this city located an hour away from Port-au-Prince. Churches, schools, and hospitals collapsed; thousands of families found themselves on the streets.

After many months of living in appalling conditions, sleeping in makeshift shelters rigged from tarpaulins and bits of wood and scrap metal, these families will finally have a sound roof over their heads. Through a large-scale program run by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, CIDA is helping to build transitional shelters for 15,000 vulnerable families in Léogâne, Jacmel, and Port-au-Prince.

Before starting construction, the Canadian Red Cross, with the assistance of the Government of Haiti, is making sure that the prospective occupants really own the building lots. Once this process is completed, carpenters and labourers will set to work. These work teams are recruited locally and trained on site.

The houses destroyed during the earthquake were often made of concrete bricks, a product unsuitable for Haiti and out of the question for rebuilding. The new shelters are built out of wood instead, and designed to be earthquake- and hurricane-resistant. To avoid flood damage during the rainy season, the shelters are slightly raised.

These modest houses, measuring 18 square metres, are meant to accommodate five people. They are not palaces. Yet, for recipient families, who can at last take cover from the elements, they are an unexpected luxury. And with the rainy and hurricane season extending from June to November, the luxury is appreciated all the more.

Rose Sévère, who lost her home in the earthquake, is grateful to the Canadian Red Cross for building her a transitional shelter with assistance from CIDA and donations from Canadians.

Rose Sévère and her spouse, Edner Bertrand, watch with eager eyes as their new home is being built. To this poor couple, who survive by means of a small vegetable garden and small jobs, the transitional shelter offers security. Rose looks forward to having her grandchildren sleep over at her house, sturdier than her own children's homes. This very simple dwelling, in addition to physical security, also represents psychological security for Rose and Edner. They finally have a home of their very own―tangible proof that life is returning to normal.

"I'm going to paint my house pink, blue, and green," Rose says with pride. Pastel shades to mirror her joy. As Tom Carnegie of the Canadian Red Cross so eloquently puts it, "Haitians have an extraordinary zest for life!"

Project profile for Haiti Earthquake - Transitional Shelters - IFRC 2010

Project profile for Haiti Earthquake - Transitional Shelters - Canadian Red Cross Society 2010

Link to video: Better, stronger housing in Haiti

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