Disaster Relief and Livelihood Support in Haiti

Members of Peace Winds fishing cooperative partner in southern Haiti

Peace Winds began support activities in Haiti after a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck just west of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, in January 2010. Peace Winds has remained active in Haiti since then and currently has an office in Les Cayes in the southern department. 

Vocational Programs

When Peace Winds’ community centers aren’t being used as emergency shelters, they serve as educational centers for Haitian youth, women’s groups, and other community groups. Peace Winds works with local partners to provide vocational training in subjects including tailoring, fishing, and cashew and peanut processing. In addition to strengthening technical skills in these subjects, participants learn business and marketing skills, helping them package, market, and sell their products at local markets.

Women’s group at Peace Winds community center after cashew & peanut processing training course

Natural Disaster Preparedness, Relief, & Recovery

In 2019, Peace Winds worked with local carpenters and masons to construct six community centers in the Sud. In the event of hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, or other natural disasters, the buildings serve as short-term evacuation sites, and each is equipped with solar electricity with batteries and inverters enabling charging of mobile phones, radios, and computers even when electricity is scarce.

Peace Winds’ community centers proved to be essential in the wake of one of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the southern part of the country on August 14, 2021. Haitians were able to shelter there while Peace Winds delivered much-needed essentials such as food, water, tents, blankets, and hygiene kits.

Our teams remained active in providing long-term support after the earthquake as well. In 2022, Peace Winds supported families whose homes had been destroyed by helping to clear debris, distributing home repair kits to more than 1,600 families, and providing briefing sessions so Haitians would know how to use the kits to repair their homes. Peace Winds also assisted disabled Haitians–many of whom became disabled due to injuries following the earthquake–by donating 140 mobility aids, including walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, and canes, to people with disabilities.

In addition to providing relief after natural disasters, Peace Winds has conducted disaster preparedness activities. In Peace Winds’ disaster workshops, residents participated in evacuation drills with local experts and learned how to use community centers as shelters in the event of a storm or earthquake.

Disaster preparedness training at a Peace Winds community center in southern Haiti