August 14th, 2021 is a day that will not soon be forgotten.
Just one year ago a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the southern region of Haiti. And just prior to the earthquake, Haiti was devastated by a presidential assassination, Hurricane Elsa and the day after the earthquake, Tropical Storm Grace. The Sud Department (where Overture serves exclusively) suffered the highest number of casualties and injuries as well as damaged and destroyed homes. And thanks to our generous donors, Overture International and our teams in the region were ready to respond to the crisis.
The impact of the investment from our donors and the amazing work of the community members is evident in the remarkable progress that’s been made in just the last 12 months. Here are just a few notable accomplishments related to each of our Overture Social Support Model Pillars:
*more information on our crisis response efforts can be found in our 2021 Annual report
All of this progress is possible because of the generosity of our donors, the focus and power of the Overture Social Support Model and the dedication of the thousands of Haitian community members who did the hard work to make it happen. This collaborative effort is what is making the dream of ending generational dependence and building a self-sufficient Haiti a true possibility for the current generation and beyond.
Preparing for the next disaster
Thanks to the generosity of donors and the hard work of community members, we’ve overcome the initial crisis, but there is still a lot of work to do to continue to build on this incredible progress. That’s why we’re focusing on being prepared for the next earthquake, hurricane, flood or other disaster that will surely hit Haiti in the near future.
And one of the key components of preparing for this next disaster is to strengthen the infrastructure in communities (most vulnerable because of their lack of access to services) with proven technology - the DOME.
We have learned that the dome structures at our ESPWA campus and in Tiburon have been critical to the earthquake recovery efforts over the last year.
They’ve provided:
safe shelter for displaced adults and children
secure storage space for food and other essential supplies that were needed to equip communities to recover quickly and rebuild stronger than ever before.
resilient structures that withstood the earthquake so that critical education and other services were able to be delivered even in the aftermath of the earthquake.
safe spaces for residents to be socially supported as they work to overcome the trauma incurred during and after the earthquake.
This is why we have launched a project to build dome community centers in six vulnerable locations in the South Department of Haiti beginning with Dory, a community in the commune of Maniche.
Dory, like the other areas identified for this project, are currently low-producing and less accessible, where families are experiencing extreme poverty. At Overture, we’re not afraid to go to these areas where other organizations either can't or won’t serve.
Based on the progress we’ve seen in the last 12 months and the resilience of our friends in southern Haiti, there is real hope for them to realize their dream of moving from surviving to self-sufficiency! But as we've addressed above, much of the potential impact of our work is dependent on the successful development of the domes in these priority communities.
To help make that dream become a reality, you can learn more about how to invest in the dome community center project here:
