by Mark Kelly, posted Tuesday, April 05, 2011 (13 years ago)
Photo by Nathanael Hollands
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (BP)--Southern Baptist rebuilding efforts in Haiti since the devastating earthquake 15 months ago have made good progress -- and the improvements are as much spiritual as physical, leaders in the effort said.
"Rebuild Haiti," a cooperative Baptist venture to put as many as 6,200 families in decent housing by the end of 2013, has completed 796 homes, with another 130 nearing completion, said Jeff Palmer, executive director of Baptist Global Response. Haitian Baptists also are participating in the initiative as are the International Mission Board, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and Florida Baptist Convention.
"In the aftermath of the earthquake, getting an effective program of rebuilding was very challenging," Palmer said. "Moving people and money into the country, assembling all the supplies needed, just dealing with the nuts and bolts of getting things done in a place devastated by the earthquake was hard. Doing it in a way that enables Haitians to stand on their own, rather than continue the dependency patterns of the past, made it even a greater challenge."
Fritz Wilson, director of disaster relief and recovery for the Florida Baptist Convention, said the decision to use local labor and supplies has multiplied Rebuild Haiti's impact. Read More
