School Reconstruction in La Vallee

Grant Status

Jan 2010:

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About

Profile

An earthquake registering over 7.0 on the Magnitude scale has devastated the country of Haiti. Almost 100% of the schools in the earthquake zone have been damaged or destroyed. Due to the instability of all the buildings, the Haitian students are without schools and many of them have been left homeless, forced to live outside. Almost every Haitian citizen has been affected by this tragedy. Many of the families in La Valle have lost loved ones. A large number of those dead have been children attending schools in Port Au Prince or the surrounding area. Due to the overwhelming numbers of dead buried in mass graves, many of these families will never know what has happened to their children. This project will be dedicated to the rebuilding and repairing of the schools in the La Valle/Jacmel region of Haiti in order to provide hope for Haiti’s future.

[The project profile picture shows the high school before the earthquake.]

Project History

This project is an extension of the very successful sponsoring of the Haitian students in La Valle by the world community. La Valle is located in the mountains of Haiti, southwest of Port au Prince and north of the coastal town of Jacmel. LaValle was heavily damaged by the earthquake and aftershocks. Many of the schools are uninhabitable and many of the smaller schools are destroyed.

Project Impact

This project is crucial in supporting the education of the children of Haiti. The earthquake has not only destroyed homes and schools, but many of the businesses that the caregivers of these children rely on for income. Without outside aid, there is no hope for these communities to rebuild. Within a few days of the earthquake, the leaders and principals of the local schools met in the local marketplace in order to assess the damage and band together in support of each other. The immediate need is to repair and rebuild the school structures in order to allow the children to return to school. Many of these children rely on the school lunch as their only meal for the day.

Project Team Credentials

Our local team in La Valle, Theodore and Antonica Payen, are continuing to spearhead the support of the students and school principals of their community. Theodore is the president of the local cooperative development organization of Codeva, whose purpose is to support the development of projects in La Valle such as schools, gardens, the marketplace and the local hospital. Theodore and his family have been volunteering their leadership to Codeva for more than 20 years. He is an engineer and has had many years of experience in the local construction needs unique to Haiti.