Building blocks

HAITI | While Christian Aid Ministries provides for the immediate needs of quake victims, it looks ahead to helping the country rebuild | Angela Lu

Associated Press/Photo by Francois Mori

In October 1989, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit San Francisco and less than 70 people died. In January 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and 230,000 people died.

The difference? Port-au-Prince could not afford to make its buildings earthquake-resistant while San Francisco could.

The need for sturdier buildings in Haiti is the next challenge for rebuilding after the quake. As the hurricane season approaches, hundreds of thousands of displaced earthquake survivors will need to find shelter.

One organization has this long-term goal in mind, even as it currently provides for the immediate needs of the earthquake survivors. Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), an Anabaptist organization based in Ohio, has been making sure that survivors get the food, water, temporary shelter, and medical attention they need while also looking ahead to see how it can help the country rebuild and ensure that the destruction of Jan. 12 does not happen again.

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David Leid, CAM’s assistant project manager, has worked on rebuilding projects in Haiti before the quake and recognizes the problems that led to the collapse of so many buildings last month.

“You need plenty of cement and steel reinforcements to build houses, and before [the quake] they would skimp on that,” he said.

In building houses, cement is the part of concrete that holds everything together, but it is also the most expensive part. When a builder does not have enough money to build in this impoverished county, the tendency is to make concrete blocks without much cement, which end up crumbling more easily.

Houses also need steel reinforcing bars to keep the structure sturdy, and in order to cut costs, builders in Haiti often do not put enough of these reinforcements in their buildings.

In addition to cutting corners because of poverty in the region, the Haitian government also does not enforced building codes, leading to substandard housing being built and a heightened death toll.

Rebuilding will be phase two of CAM’s Haiti Relief Project, and may not begin until fall because of more urgent needs in the country. Plus, before CAM can begin rebuilding, the debris needs to be cleared away, and more importantly, the organization needs to find a way to determine who owns what land.

“We only feel good building where people own the land and when things are all leveled that has to be sorted through,” Leid said. “Our experience is that it’ll take some time to get everything in place.”

When it does come time to begin building, CAM will supervise and provide materials while the local communities build their own houses. The organization stresses the importance of getting the local people actively engaged in the construction process because it gives the community pride of ownership of the project and creates jobs to many of the unemployed.

There will also be a micro-loan system in place to help earthquake survivors start their own small businesses. Many of the local people have lost their jobs as the factories have been damaged by the quake. With a low interest loan and classes on starting small business, Haitians have a chance to make a living. From there, the organization plans on rebuilding clinics, schools, and churches.

Leid sees his work at CAM as a way to let God’s light shine and help people in need: “To me, it’s all part of being a Christian, and I’m one of the fortunate one who can do this type of thing all the time.”