In early February took place the laying of the foundation stone of a Model Village in the town of Gressier. This project, funded to the tune of U.S. $ 5.5 million by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Church of Sweden (CoS) and the Anglican Church of Canada (PWRDF), all partners of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), will emerge in the town of Bois Bocot (Morne la Chandelle) and will allow approximately 200 families to find shelter. The construction of this model village will last nearly eight months.

"This project will provide a daily employment to 100 local workers and will allow 40 students from the vocational school of Gressier to gain experience in construction," informed Jacob Huibert Aantjes, the acting Representative of LWF in Haiti, who indicated that "a solidarity fund will be established for maintenance of this village."

Each of the 200 houses, with an area of ​​37 m2 will be built in concrete in accordance with the standards and will include "two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and veranda" The village will also include a field football and public spaces. House construction was entrusted to the Dominican firm Guzman.

"The Village will be a model for Haiti ecologically. The 'green' technology planned for the treatment of wastewater will be introduced for the first time in Haiti by the LWF," stresses Jean Denis Hilaire, project coordinator for the LWF. Solar panels for every house and a waste treatment system will also part of the ecological components of the Model Village.

For implementation of the project, the Haitian government has made ​​available to the LWF a plot of 58.000 square meters. The Korean Society of Engineering (ROKENGCOY) is currently conducting leveling work and site preparation and will also support the construction of an access road to the village, 1.2 km long.

HL/ HaitiLibre