New Zealanders Urged to Contribute to $140 Million

New Zealanders Urged to Contribute to $140 Million Plan for Haiti

Habitat for Humanity to Build Homes for a Quarter of a Million People

New Zealanders are being urged to contribute to a global effort, aimed at raising NZ$140 million to help Haiti rebuild after last month’s massive earthquake.

Habitat for Humanity International has unveiled plans to build homes for 50, 000 low-income families, or approximately a quarter of a million people, on the island nation, over the next five years.

“There are still hundreds of thousands of homeless people on Haiti and many others without effective shelter against the next Hurricane season. Moreover, even before the earthquake struck, the lives of vast numbers of Haitians were blighted by inadequate housing, which proved totally incapable of withstanding the disaster,” says Habitat for Humanity New Zealand’s CEO, Pete North.

“Our plan is to provide simple and affordable but robust and durable homes, designed to withstand some of the worst that nature can throw at them. We will be drawing on our global experience of helping low-income families into affordable housing and also on our 26 years of experience of working in Haiti.

“Of the 2,000 homes built on Haiti under Habitat for Humanity’s auspices before the earthquake, all but two are still standing, which suggests that we must be doing something right,” he adds.

Habitat for Humanity has already implemented the initial relief phase of its plan for Haiti. This has involved distributing 10,000 emergency kits, containing tools and supplies to help families make immediate house repairs and construct temporary shelters on their home sites.

Contents of an emergency kit include tarpaulins, rope, duct tape and a hammer, for use in erecting a temporary shelter. Also included are a chisel and hacksaw for help with salvaging materials from collapsed houses, along with a bucket for removing the debris and carrying water. In addition, protective gloves and masks are provided. Emergency shelter kits cost NZ $360 a piece to assemble and transport to Haiti.

“Another important part of the relief stage has been the inspection of earthquake-zone houses still standing, to make sure they are structurally sound and safe for continued use,” says Pete North .

“At the same time, we’ve started implementing the rehabilitation stage of our plan. This involves assistance with the clean-up, repairs to homes that sustained minimal damage and construction of transitional shelters, which can typically be upgraded into permanent homes or which use materials capable of being incorporated into longer-lasting solutions.

“The third, reconstruction, stage of Habitat’s plan for Haiti will focus on building core houses, each with its own separate sanitation facility. These units are to be permanent and resistant to earthquakes and hurricanes. They are also designed to be expanded over time by homeowner families and to meet international humanitarian standards for good housing.

“People across the globe have been horrified by the extent of the disaster on Haiti. At the same time, they have been inspired by the courage and resilience of the earthquake’s survivors and the skills of the rescue teams.

“As New Zealanders, we take justified pride in our readiness to help people overseas whose lives have been turned tragically upside down by natural disasters. We feel confident that a great many Kiwis will now want to be part of our effort to give Haiti’s hard-pressed people a new start,” says Mr North.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-denominational Christian not-for-profit organisation that helps more than 60,000 families across the globe into homes every year. The organisation aims to help build sustainable communities and eliminate poverty housing worldwide. Habitat New Zealand has helped more than 350 families into their own homes in New Zealand since its establishment here in 1992.

To donate to Habitat’s work in Haiti, please visit the organisation’s website www.habitat.org.nz or telephone its freephone number 0800 442 248.

ENDS

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