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Taiwan-backed Hope Village inaugurated in Haiti

ROC Red Cross Chairwoman Wang Ching-feng (right) and Haiti Foreign Minister Pierre-Richard Caismir unveil the Hope Village commemorative plaque Aug. 19 in Savane Diane, Haiti. (CNA)

• Publication Date：08/20/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Rachel Chan

Hope Village, a Taiwan-funded resettlement project in Haiti for 1,000 people left homeless following the 2010 earthquake, was inaugurated Aug. 19, according to the ROC Red Cross Society.

“This initiative illustrates the love of the people of Taiwan for Haiti,” Red Cross Chairwoman Wang Ching-feng said. “It is a great joy to see a desolate site transformed into a place of happiness where people can start their lives anew.”

Wang made the remarks during the inauguration ceremony for the village, situated 230 kilometers north of the capital Port-au-Prince in Savane Diane. Also attending were ROC Ambassador to Haiti Liu Bang-zyh and Haiti’s Foreign Minister Pierre-Richard Caismir and Agricultural Minister Thomas Jacques.

The US$5.5 million project, which was funded by the Red Cross and ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is the first post-disaster international permanent shelter project inaugurated in the Caribbean nation. Construction began in August 2011 and was completed ahead of schedule despite logistical and weather challenges.

Boasting 200 farm houses, one elementary school and a dormitory for the teaching faculty, the village is also equipped with power generators, solar energy systems for lighting and water storage facilities.

The magnitude-7.0 quake that struck Haiti Jan. 12, 2010, was the most powerful in 200 years. More than 300,000 people were killed, 300,000 injured, 1.3 million displaced, 105,000 homes destroyed and 208,000 damaged in the Port-au-Prince area and much of the southern part of the country. (JSM)

Write to Rachel Chan at ccchan@mofa.gov.tw