The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), a cooperanting institution of the Organization of American States (OAS), received today a three-million-dollar grant from the Clinton – Bush Haiti Fund and the Caterpillar Foundation in support of the Haiti Home Repair Program in the Haitian city of Léogâne.

These funds will finance a program to repair 800 damaged multi-family homes in Léogâne, allowing 7,200 Haitians rapid and efficient access to safe and habitable housing. Furthermore, PADF with the Ministry of Public Works, will hire and train 214 Haitian engineers, masons, subcontractors and workers for the repairs. The goal is to teach them construction best practices and disaster risk reduction to ensure the safety and durability of the structures.

In a ceremony held at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, Secretary General Insulza stated that "this collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works is an excellent example of how the OAS and PADF are strengthening the Haitian government’s capacity and helping to address Haiti's most immediate requirements for safe and secure shelter for thousands of homeless Haitians." He thanked expressly the Caterpillar Foundation for its "continuous cooperation with PADF" and the Clinton – Bush Haiti Fund for "the support and work they do in Haiti."

The Permanent Representative of Haiti to the OAS, Ambassador Duly Brutus, expressed his thankfulness and said that "this contribution is proof that despite the continuing economic crisis, many Americans still remain sensitive to the idea of demonstrating concretely their solidarity with Haiti."

TB/ HaitiLibre