CHF - Helping Rebuild Haiti

One of the important things about working with the community closely is that you both learn to respect each other. CHF focuses on community-based development. The workers we employ to clean up are from the community, and our community mobilizers are key to all these efforts. From David Humphries, CHF Communications Manager on the ground in Port au Prince: One of the community mobilizers, Civille, took me to his home in the improvised camp at Parc Seminaire in Solino, one of the areas we are surveying for building transitional shelters. 1500 families live in the camp so maybe 7,000 - 10,000 people. But the camp is downhill from the major settlements that they have abandoned, and with the rains, it had become a swamp. As Dede, my Haitian guide, said to me: “Welcome to the Third World.” They had tents that had been distributed by a relief agency, but the tents were soaked in mud, and the canal, which passed by the camp was blocked and had the stench of raw sewage. The children ran up to me shouting ‘Yo!’ and ‘Hey, you!’ and asking for their picture to be taken – not a common experience in Haiti, where people prefer to avoid the camera. In fact, despite their living conditions and this being a ‘red zone’ we were welcomed by everyone. Perhaps that is the benefit of working with the community. I hope that we can provide this area with suitable shelter as soon as possible.