Faces of Recovery: Building back safer

Communities in south-west Haiti are being supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to build their homes in a safer way to withstand natural disasters. Kettie Jean Klefekerleads the IOM team in Jérémie in the department of Grand’Anse.

“After Hurricane Matthew caused widespread damage in south-west Haiti in 2016, I led IOM’s shelter response in Jérémie. I conducted training sessions on local construction techniques, some specifically for women and we developed a house which we thought would best be able to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes.

In Creole, we called this “Map Bati Kay Mwen Pi Byen”or“Iwillbuildmyhousebetter,”  which was focused on building safer and more resilient structures.When the earthquake hitthe region on 14 August, I returned put together a team to work on roof repairs and other reconstruction effortsassisting all those affected in Grand’Anse department.

All of the houses that we had worked on following Hurricane Matthew withstood the August 7.2 magnitude earthquake.”