Saturday, the Village of Hope (Village de l'Espoir) was inaugurated in Savane Diane (230km from the capital), , in the presence of Liu Bang-zyh Ambassador of the Republic of China in Haiti, Wang Jin-feng, President of the Society of the Red Cross of the Republic of China, Pierre Richard Casimir, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and Thomas Jacques, Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development.

It is thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan and the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China, that the village, which will allow to relocate 200 families (1,000 people), has been built by the firm "Overseas Engineering & Construction Corp." (OECC) at a cost of $5.5 million in compliance with standards and in line with Haiti's urban development policy.

"This initiative illustrates the love of the people of Taiwan for Haiti," declared Wang Jin-feng, adding "t is a great joy to see a desolate site transformed into a place of happiness where people can start their lives anew," explaining that the Taiwan Red Cross Society will continue to improve the water supply system for the community and will purchase school uniforms for the children of the village.

Photo : Pierre Richard Casimir, the Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Jin-feng, the president of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China

The village also has an elementary school and 300 ha of arable land that will be used to teach people farming techniques in the framework of a project of Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (TICDF), the Taiwanese agency in charge of development aid, under the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei.

The village is also equipped with a solar-powered lighting system and four water storage facilities.

"In addition, children in the village will be able to attend the school from this October," declared Thomas Jacques, adding that his ministry will also cooperate with the country's Health Department to set up clinics in the village.

HL/ HaitiLibre