Haiti Reflections - November 10, 2011

November 10th, 2011

Each morning when we board our buses to the work site, we are given a laminated “advocacy fact sheet” intended to provide information about Haiti’s evolving needs and Habitat’s advocacy efforts. The topics were both enlightening and thought-provoking, and really extend beyond Haiti to the big issues and challenges we face as we seek to eliminate poverty housing world-wide.

Urbanization and informal settlements (slums). Over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas today; that is projected to increase to 70 percent by 2050. Over 1/6 of the world’s population (that’s ONE BILLION PEOPLE) live in slum communities characterized by overcrowding, inadequate access to safe water and sanitation, insecurity of land title, and poor structures. Before Haiti’s earthquake, a whopping 86 percent of Port-au-Prince’s 2 million residents lived in slums. Help is needed on so many levels to alleviate this situation, and we’re making a start.

Secure tenure defined as the ability to live in a place without fear of eviction. It’s a complex issue and it complicates efforts to build decent, affordable housing. It is reported that one billion people do not have secure tenure world-wide, and one million people are forcibly evicted from their homes annually. Habitat is working with governments throughout the world to alleviate this problem; in 2011 Habitat for Humanity helped provide more than 6,000 families globally with security of tenure. In the Santo community, Habitat families will receive security of tenure by local and national government agreement (we’re relieved to know this).

Disaster response and risk reduction. We were dismayed to learn that more than 13 million people have lost their home to a natural disaster in the past five years! People living in urban slums are especially vulnerable since over half of the world’s largest cities are located in areas of high seismic risk. In a disaster, all of the issues mentioned above are magnified, as has been seen in Haiti.

We did not travel to Léogâne to simply swing hammers—the experience was much more than that. We learned about the obstacles even Habitat has to overcome to provide access to safe, decent, affordable housing. We learned these issues take time, attention, commitment and no small amount of courage to improve access to housing for the world’s poor. And we need more people like you to join us. Please visit https://www.tchabitat.org/advocacy for more information. --Sharon and Barry Mason

Reflection from November 8th, 2011

Reflection from November 9th, 2011

Reflection from November 10th, 2011

Reflection from November 11, 2011 (Final Reflection)

Read about the Habitat Haiti Families