It’s been exactly three years since the earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, caused massive loss of lives and destruction of housing and infrastructure. The magnitude-7.0 quake was the most powerful to hit the area in 200 years, its epicenter just 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince, a densely packed urban center of more than 2 million people.
The number of people affected is estimated to be 3.7 million, and Haiti’s ambassador to the United States called the quake a “catastrophe of major proportions.” It is a major setback for a country where 55 percent of the population lived on less than US $1 a day even before the earthquake. Habitat’s response in Haiti will include a variety of solutions on the pathway to permanence. Habitat for Humanity’s Cars for Homes program is looking to raise funding to support projects along the way that specifically target vulnerable groups for rebuilding programs in Haiti. In 2011, the Cars for Homes team visited Haiti as part of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Haiti. Watch video from the trip below:
Overall, Habitat aims to serve 50,000 families over the next five years in Haiti. Interventions will focus on a wide array of housing solutions and capacity-building initiatives to address long-term housing sustainability and community redevelopment.
Get involved today through vehicle donation, proceeds from your car donation will go towards future building efforts in Haiti. During the process of donating a car online or over the phone with a customer service representative at 877-277-4344, specify that you’d like proceeds to go towards the rebuild in Haiti.
Cars for Homes Volunteers help build homes with future homeowners in Haiti.