Five families in the community of Ravine Sable, Haiti, are in brand new homes, thanks to funding from HomePlan and a partnership between Hope for Haiti and the Man Dodo Humanitarian Foundation. These families each lost their homes during the catastrophic 2021 earthquake in the Sud Department. Unfortunately, the reconstruction project encountered numerous challenges, delaying the completion of the new homes, including the verification process of land and home ownership with local authorities, securing a contractor willing to work in this remote area, and the shutdown of Port-au-Prince’s port and customs, which impacted the delivery of materials.
By June, 2024, work was underway on all five homes. On August 18, 2024, Hope for Haiti staff joined the staff of Man Dodo and the beneficiary families to inaugurate their newly built homes. Each home consists of a house with a porch, a large living/dining space, and two bedrooms, as well as two outbuildings containing a kitchen and toilet.
Testimonials
Anasta at the home inauguration
Anasta Bacien is a 57-year-old resident of Ravine Sable in Cavaillon, and lives with four of her seven children. She was raised by her godfather after the death of her parents. Not able to afford school, she began working as a child. Once a mother, she worked as a ti machann (vendor), selling ground coffee, candies, bread, and peanut butter to support her children and enable them to attend school.
She describes the impact of the 2021 earthquake on her home in emotional terms. “My situation was so desperate. Even though my house didn’t collapse, it was severely damaged. I used sheets and sheet metal to cover where the walls had collapsed so I could sleep indoors. In the evening, I had to have a flashlight in hand to check for bugs around the house.”
With a newly-rebuilt house, her situation is much improved. “This new house has changed my living conditions. After the earthquake, I lived in a house where, when it rained, there was water all over the inside. Now, I live in a comfortable house and I am no longer afraid of the rain. I feel more safe.”
“My previous situation had a great impact on my health, because it was a source of stress and anxiety for me.” Anasta explained. “Now, my children and I are happier. We won’t worry anymore about finding metal sheets to keep people from seeing inside our house.”
Anasta (center) in front of her home
Jean Willey Petit-Bois is a 42-year-old resident of Ravine Sable in Cavaillon, and lives with his wife and two daughters. He was born in Cavaillon and attended primary school there, then
moved to Port au Prince for high school. He returned to his hometown to pursue post-secondary studies in mathematics and now teaches at Ecole Frères-Unis de Ravine Sable.
Jean Willey and his daughters at the home inauguration
He described the impact of the 2021 earthquake on his family. “My family first lived in a very tiny house, with one room. With our daughters were growing up, we decided to build a more comfortable home. Even though it was incomplete, we had moved there before the earthquake occurred. My daughters were playing inside when the earthquake struck and the house collapsed. Thanks to God, neighbors rescued my daughters from the rubble. Consequently, we had to return to our uncomfortable tiny house. Every single day was a big challenge for us. There was no privacy for me and my wife, and my children got sick very often due to the mess inside and exposure to low-quality air. Living in the tiny house psychologically affected me. Sometimes I used my radio to avoid thinking about it.”
Jean Willey described the impact of his new home. “The biggest change for me is that we no longer have privacy problems and there is no mess or bad smells to make us feel embarrassed. I feel safer now. One day, while I was at school teaching, robbers got into our tiny house and stole my cell phone. I think with this house that incident wouldn’t occur. My daughters got sick very often because of the low-quality air and constant heat inside our tiny house. I believe, with this house, they are going to be healthy,” he continued.
Although mostly positive about his new home, Jean Willey did have one suggestion for future home builds. “I really like the house. I would prefer that, for more privacy when eating, the dining and living rooms were separated instead of an open room, however.”
Asked if he had anything else to share, Jean Willey said, “I am at a loss for words to express my gratitude for this very nice house.”
Kenold’s partner and daughter in front of their home
Kenold Menard is a 48-year-old native resident of Ravine Sable in Cavaillon and lives with his partner and daughter. He described the impact of the 2021 earthquake on his family’s living
situation. “Our house was severely damaged, so the actions to take were demolition and reconstruction. Fortunately, my brother allowed me, my wife, and my daughter to stay with him until we rebuilt our own house. We had to share one room. Despite being hopeless, we adapted to our new living conditions.”
Kenold described how the loss of his home impacted his mental health. “Losing my house made me depressed. We all lived in a single room. I was not comfortable and was depressed because
losing my house was like a step back. Moreover, no friends could visit me because I always declined any time they wanted to. I felt ashamed!”
Now, his situation is much improved. “The biggest change is that we have a safer and bigger house now. I feel more safe because I believe, in the event of an earthquake, cracks or even partial collapse of walls won’t jeopardize the building as a whole.”
More Photos from the Inauguration
