ELCA NEWS SERVICE

February 7, 2012  

Lutherans break ground for a new resettlement village in Haiti
12-04-MRC

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The commitment between members of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the people of Haiti was celebrated
Feb. 2 at a groundbreaking ceremony in the nation's Gressier
municipality, where a new resettlement village is planned for 2012.
     A project of The Lutheran World Federation, the village will provide
housing for 1,200 people in Gressier displaced by an earthquake that
struck Haiti in 2010.
     The ELCA is funding the project with $3.5 million through ELCA
Disaster Response and is further engaged with the Lutheran Church of
Haiti in responding to the needs of earthquake survivors. The ELCA is the
only U.S. Lutheran church in The Lutheran World Federation, a global
communion representing more than 70 million Christians worldwide.
     The village will include the construction of 200 solar-powered homes
with indoor plumbing, a "green" sanitation system and community space
that includes a children's playground and multipurpose community center.
Women-headed households and people living with disabilities will be among
the village residents. They will lead an association to manage the
village's common assets and allow for the ongoing participation of all
involved in the project.
     "We are a church that is deeply rooted in God's mission to restore
community and address the brokenness in our world," said the Rev. Rafael
Malpica Padilla, executive director of the ELCA's global mission work
who, along with other ELCA leaders, attended the groundbreaking.
     "Through The Lutheran World Federation and the ministries of our
companion church, the Egliese Lutherienne D'Haiti (Lutheran Church of
Haiti), members of the ELCA have been walking with the people of Haiti in
addressing the economic marginalization that has prevented large sectors
of the Haitian society to reach its full potential," he said.
     Gressier is west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The 2010
earthquake nearly reduced the capital city to rubble. As in Port-au-
Prince, a majority of the 63,000 inhabitants of Gressier continue to live
in tents since the earthquake, according to The Lutheran World Federation.
     More than 58,000 square meters of land in Gressier was donated by
the government through the municipality's mayor. The contribution was
validated by Haiti's Ministry of Finance and the State Domain. Land
ownership rights are registered for development and will be transferred
to village residents.
     According to ELCA leaders, the construction project is more than
building homes.
     "It is a sign of hope," said Malpica Padilla at the groundbreaking.
While the project "is an attempt to offer a new start for families who
lost their homes in the earthquake," he said, it "is not isolated from
other work being done by the Lutheran Church of Haiti."
     "Just a short distance from this place, the (Lutheran church) has a
vocational training center. Here we are not engaged in brick and mortar
construction, but (we are) engaging the minds and spirit of Haitians
through education to lay the foundation for the rebuilding of this
nation, using sustainable and durable solutions, and building on the
human potential through empowering people," said Malpica Padilla, adding
that the devastating effects of poverty and economic stagnation "can rob
people of their hope for a brighter future."
     Other expected results of the housing project include employing
local construction workers, providing construction experience for
students at the vocation training center, opportunities for micro-
enterprising, training community members in managing assets and building
a community-based, disaster risk reduction team.
     The village project also serves as a model for relief,
rehabilitation and development work in other parts of Haiti, in an effort
to promote "a dignified life" for community residents.
     "Before many people were suffering in Gressier," said Jean Merilus
St-Urbain at the groundbreaking. "But today this new project can let us
say that 200 families among the vulnerable can have hope." Merilus
St.Urbain is a beneficiary of the housing project.

Lutherans continue their work to reduce cholera infection
     Since the earthquake, the Lutheran Church of Haiti also has been
active in responding to an outbreak of cholera in Gressier and
neighboring Sapotille.
     Cholera is an infectious, contagious disease transmitted through
contamination of food or water. Symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and
abdominal pain can lead to dehydration and acute renal failure that is
fatal without treatment. The outbreak has resulted in more than 5,000
deaths, according to the Lutheran Church of Haiti.
     ELCA Disaster Response has invested more than $1 million worth of
work with the Lutheran Church of Haiti to contain the outbreak, care for
patients and support two temporary health posts in Sapotille and
Gressier. The response strategy between the ELCA and the Lutheran Church
of Haiti further addresses access to clean water and basic sanitation
services for about 17,000 families in both municipalities.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United
States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50
states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work.
Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in
Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's
roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

For information contact:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
773-380-2956 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.ELCA.org/news
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