THE EARTHQUAKE IN 2021
On August 14th, 2021, Haiti was struck by a powerful 7.2 earthquake, devastating the southwestern peninsula. The latest information indicates: that 2,200 were dead, 12,000 were injured, and more than 300 were missing; close to 130,000 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged, and an estimated 700,000 people are homeless.
The epicenter of the quake was in the Department of Nippes, a region whose economic mainstay is fishing. This is where we are concentrating our relief efforts.
OUR RELIEF RESPONSE PROJECT
The first week of September we went to Haiti and spent most of our time in Nippes. Following many meetings with the local population, especially the fishermen and the women who are small merchants who sell the fish. Together we designed the following relief response project:
To rebuild the supply chain of the fishing sector in the Petite Rivière de Nippes
The supply chain consists of the men who fish, and the women who sell the fish. Our project reflects the needs of these two pillars of the local fishing sector.
Part Two: As in all our projects, we pay special attention to women whose voices are often not heard. We called a meeting of women, small merchants, who sell the fish. The first meeting was attended by 300 women!- indicating how urgent their needs are. All chose the option to access funding so they could restart their commerce. We agreed. We are negotiating with a local finance cooperative a three-year microcredit program we will fund to respond to the women’s needs.
STATUS OF PROJECT: ONGOING.
