Rain in Port-au-Prince

“We need to have those sites in order to build something ... better.”

That was the comment of U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes on March 19, 2010. What precipitated that comment was the deluge that over ran a ramshackle tent city on what used to be Port Au Prince’s most exclusive golf course. It had become the refuge for thousands of Haitians who were displaced after the January 11^th earthquake that took an estimated 250,000 lives.

The little village, home to 45,000 people, was engulfed by torrential rains on March 19^th putting the flimsy shelters in peril. Several were swept away by the rushing water. One woman, fearing for her seven children, stayed on one side of the tarp that acted as a wall, trying to keep the water out. "I'm not used to this," she said through her tears. After the sun rose Friday, people used sticks and their bare hands to dig drainage ditches around their tarps and shanties. Marie Elba Sylvie, 50, could not decide whether it was worth repairing damage to her lean-to of scrap wood and plastic.

"It could be fixed but when it rains again it will be the same problem," said the 50-year-old mother of four.

Officials know they must move many of the 1.3 million people displaced by the earthquake before the rainy season starts in earnest in April. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters at the golf course camp Sunday that the people living there were in particular danger.

As the United Nations surveyed the scene, Holmes felt that it was frustrating because they needed the housing sites to construct better housing. Most observers agree that during the rainy season, the greatest need is better housing for those who have found themselves homeless and without resources.

RMI President Dan Shoemaker had recognized the potential problem early on. “Having lived in Haiti for so many years, I knew the rainy season was coming. I could see that the next great crisis would be the tremendous need for transitional housing for these poor folks in the tent cities.

Transitional Homes will be the next great need that RMI will be addressing. As you can see above, the refugees are desperate for something far better than their flimsy lean-to’s. RMI is determined to address this crisis head on. For the last month, the RMI leadership team has been diligently working to come up with answers to that pressing need. They have found several possibilities that would provide durable, cost efficient, but culturally relevant transitional housing for the struggling Haitians. A decision should be made within the next few days. RMI’s desire is to provide “Homes Today for Haiti’s Tomorrow”!

Pray with us as we put together our final plans. We will keep you informed and updated as to how you may impact the lives of our overwhelmed Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ through providing a home for hurting families.