THE PARTNER
The Fondation Saint Luc is a Haitian non-profit Catholic-oriented organization working in the field of Education, health care, community development as well as agricultural and management of emergencies that every year benefit about 90,000 people. Founded by Father Rick Frechette CP, American priest and doctor, and developed and expanded under the leadership of Jean NebezAgustin, the Foundation is the result of over 26 years of working experience in Haiti.
Particular attention is given to the involvement of young Haitians, many of whom have grown up in the orphanages of Nos PetitsFrères et Soeurs, sharing with them a vision of development of Haiti based on hard work, moral integrity, Christian values, and the inspiration gained from young Haitians themselves. The programs of the Foundation St. Luc employ over 1,000 people.
THE PROJECT
ABF has started an initiative to collect the funds needed to buy food supplies and a basic assistance contribution of food, water, clothing, tents and healthcare.
ABF together with the Fondation St Luc is working on the plan for the reconstruction and restoration of the school buildings so as to quickly give a clear and tangible sign of a return to normality for more than 1,350 students in our 2 schools of St Augustin in Abricot and Manitane in Dame Marie as well as restoring family units to their homes and the small production businesses that were run to support the household.
OBJECTIVES
1. Urgency – To daily guarantee to the communities affected:
- food,
- water,
- blankets,
- clothing,
- healthcare;
- tents
2. To restore and reinstate:
- the school buildings of Manitane and St. Augustin;
- normal teaching activities;
- agricultural action
- recovery of livestock.
NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES
- Families receiving basic assistance in the south-west Haiti area: 3.000
- Number of students involved in Dame Marie: 400
- Number of students involved in Abricot: 950
THE CONTEXT
On 4 October 2016, Hurricane Matthew devastated the island of Haiti. The incessant rain and wind have brought huge damage. Whole villages have been flooded and no longer exist. The hurricane has swept away homes, hectares of vegetation and agricultural land, the population’s main sources of livelihood. The bridge linking the capital with the south of the island, the worst hit area, has collapsed and aid is slow in arriving. Two of the communities in which our Foundation has ongoing projects, Dame Marie and Abricot, are isolated and very difficult to reach. Over 800 people have died, while thousands, calculated to be around 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and are now without shelter.
School of Manitane de Dame Marie.
The old school building, which the students were still using, has been destroyed. The newly built part of the school has suffered some damage. The depot containing cement, iron and other materials has been destroyed. At present the building housing the kindergarten, which is still standing, is being used to house people whose homes have been destroyed. This building has taken in more than 16 families, making a total of 106 people, until they can find a place to sleep.
Laserengue.
In the community of Laserengue, everything has been destroyed. The landscape is now devoid of trees; what remain are a few sections of the walls of some houses that the families were building thanks to project 3.COM and some sheets or fragments of metal blown off the roofs. Agriculture, this community’s primary activity, has been devastated; there are no plantations or livestock left.
The School of St Augustin.
The masonry of the building is still almost intact. The roof has gone and the water has therefore damaged the classrooms on the second floor.
Since the day of the hurricane the school has become a big shelter for many people despite the damage it suffered. More than 3,450 people who have been left homeless are using all the spaces available, i.e. the classrooms, kitchen, basketball court, as a shelter.
ABF ACTIONS
The Andrea Bocelli Foundation provides the following support:
- Support for the purchase of goods of basic necessity
- Restoration of the school buildings of Dame Marie and St Augustin
- Restoring access to education for 1,350 students
- Contributing to the consolidation of the community’s socio-economic activities
