Haven

Haven has been operational in Haiti since early 2009, building homes and communities in the poorest regions of the country. A large earthquake shook the area surrounding Port au Prince on 12 January 2010 that caused widespread and complex disruption, leaving thousands dead and multiples more homeless.

In response to the damage inflicted by this natural disaster, Haven sent an emergency team to the county to carry out an immediate needs assessment and identify whether Haven was in a position to offer further support.

Assessments were carried out in a number of regions throughout the country and following meetings with other NGOs, and members of the Government of Haiti (GoH), Haven decided to focus its efforts in the Port au Prince (PaP) region. PaP is the capital city of the country and home to the country’s major ports, and largest urban conurbations. It is a complex city with a topography that has made aid distribution more difficult, and led to claims that this is the most complex disaster in humanitarian aid history. Haven deployed professional relief workers to PaP on 20th January 2010, and a project to construct latrines in temporary camps and to construct permanent houses is now being set up.

There is no current permanent funding secured to support these projects, however this is an ongoing activity and the organisation is confident of securing such institutional funds so that it can commit itself to the redevelopment work for a period of 3 years.