We're pleased to announce a grant from The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund to support building back businesses in Haiti. The $816,472 grant to Architecture for Humanity, in support of the Rebuilding Center in Port-au-Prince will enable small and growing Haitian businesses to participate in post-earthquake reconstruction and ensure rebuilding incorporates better design and engineering.
Funded jointly by Architecture for Humanity and the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the Rebuilding Center will serve as a one-stop-shop to provide both technical expertise and financial support to Haiti's construction sector. It should help put more than 5,000 Haitians back to work and benefit the lives of 30,000 people within three years by providing workforce training, consumer education, and professional referrals. The Rebuilding Center will serve as a clearinghouse for reconstruction bids and tender opportunities. Part of this work will include supporting lenders and microfinance institutions making bridge loans and construction loans. The goal: To help ensure donors are investing in safe buildings and help mitigate against future business losses.
Architecture for Humanity's Haiti Rebuilding Center is based on a model successfully implemented following Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. and the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. This grant will be used to increase the capacity of the Haiti Rebuilding Center and expand its reach among Haitians to promote good building practices. This will support smaller Haitian construction firms as they engage in the large-scale reconstruction projects currently underway in Haiti.
The Haiti Rebuilding Center was established in March 2010, drawing on volunteers and funding from Architecture for Humanity's members and supporters. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund grant will fund a full year of operations for the center, allow it to expand its programs, and attract new donors.
