Creating Local Jobs in Southern Haiti

It’s been almost two months since the super hurricane ripped through houses and farmlands leaving very little for people in western Haiti. Soon after Hurricane Matthew, Peace Winds distributed tarpaulins and blankets in the Torbeck commune in Les Cayes. Recently, Peace Winds staff went back to the area to see how our relief goods had been received and used.

“My family took refuge at our neighbors with a stronger house when the hurricane went through our area. I had never experienced anything like that before. We found out the next day that our house was mostly gone,” said Alceus Makela. “All my family was safe, but we had no safe home anymore. Then Peace Winds provided a tarpaulin and a blanket. We used the tarpaulin to make a living room in our temporary shelter, where we can eat and children can play. But we have no idea when we can build our home back.”

Families like the Makelas are very common. They are living day-to-day, hoping they can save enough money to start rebuilding their homes. When Peace Winds staff visited Torbeck, we saw tarpaulins were used in a variety of ways. Some used them to create kitchen areas. In Haiti, it is very common to have the kitchen separate from the house due to charcoal usage for fuel.

Some residents combined multiple tarpaulins and had a professional build a brand new temporary house. This way, the house is solid and it feels and looks like a real home.

Peace Winds also witnessed some of the tarpaulins used to cover the bags of charcoal which are to be sold at the market.

The recovery continues in hurricane hit areas of Haiti as Peace Winds provides additional support to communities in need. We appreciate your support!

Links:

• Peace Winds America's Website