As Hurricane Matthew swept ashore Haiti’s southern coast, winds of up to 235km/h battered everything that stood in its path. In the days and weeks after the storm, the Rinaldi Foundation, in conjunction with Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo (VIS) and Caritas Italiana, sought to assess the extent of the damage and respond with appropriate measures. It was soon discovered that 80% of homes in the area were completely destroyed, and another 15% were severely damaged. A project was therefore devised to help the population rebuild by providing training on the utilization of more durable building techniques and by providing vouchers for the purchase of building materials.
In the months that followed 3 carpentry teachers from Centre Diocésain des Arts et Métiers in Les Cayes, along with an external engineer, collaborated to compose a new construction manual for the population of the area. The goal was to make the manual practical and easy to use. Particular attention was given to the use of images to explain concepts and basic principles. The manual was then utilized during a serious of 4 formation sessions which aimed to give the beneficiaries of the program the foundation that they needed to rebuild. Upon completing the training, participants were given vouchers that could be used to purchase building materials.
At the end of the program evaluation period, it was found that 167 of the 200 families (83.5%) had completed work on their homes, while the others waited for an available carpenter or to secure additional funding. The participants in the program were very grateful for the support that they received. One gentleman stated that he would like to change the name of the project to Project Liberation. He explained that after the hurricane he had been forced to leave his home and move in with others. However, with the aid of the project he was now able to return home.
