Habitat Dominicana and its partners build housing solutions in eastern areas of the country hit by Hurricane Fiona

• After Hurricane Fiona, Habitat Dominicana and its partners are building housing solutions for affected families in El Seibo, Miches and La Romana.

Habitat Dominicana was there from the first days of distress and desperation for hundreds of families affected by Hurricane Fiona’s strong winds in communities in El Seibo, Miches and La Romana, through the Resilient Reconstruction after Hurricane Fiona project at the end of last year.

Partners such as the Ministry of Housing and Buildings (MIVED) provided the initial support to launch rapid-response build brigades, with assistance and reconstruction work in the different communities, helping 112 families, as well as logistical support and delivery of donated materials for the construction work. The Punta Catalina Thermoelectric Plant immediately showed its solidarity by supporting 50 families so they could have a better place to live, with adequate conditions and proper electrical installations.

Mr. Enrique De Castro, a landowner in the east of the country, backed the organisation’s reconstruction work so that 49 families in the communities closest to the centre of El Seibo could be helped. The La Romana–Bayahibe Hotel Association was among the partners that joined this humanitarian cause, helping 20  affected families in the community of Benerito get back on their feet; Starbucks Corporation helped two families transform their lives, one with the construction of a complete housing unit and the other with the repair of their home; Grupo Cometa enabled 6  families to have safe access to electricity in their homes; and ROTARY DISTRICT 4060 helped build roofs for 2 families and trained them in emergency response.

We also thank the NGO World Vision Dominican Republic, which helped map the communities and select the families to be assisted, and the local councils in the areas where we worked, which joined the cause of housing from the first hours after the disaster and have been supporting vulnerable families ever since with the reconstruction and repair of resilient homes that ensure the safety of the families most affected by the storm.

“Our organisation’s main concern when we began work in the affected areas was for every person to be able to return to their home, and to follow up and support hundreds of families who lost everything in the hurricane. We have stayed close to the most vulnerable together with our partners, volunteers and the great team of staff who work every day to empower families. Thanks to everyone, we continue working even harder for decent housing,” said Cesarina Fabián, national director of Habitat Dominicana.

The response plan for affected families was launched on 24 September 2022. To date, more than 239 families have been helped with full and partial construction, access to resilient housing services, technical assistance, the formation of community emergency committees, and the empowerment of community leaders and volunteers and their involvement in development and transformation activities in the areas where Habitat Dominicana has been working.

“These were difficult times for so many people left unprotected, with nowhere to stay, out in the open – many elderly people and frightened children, with their school supplies, clothes and shoes soaked, and parents not knowing what to do. That is exactly when we arrived, and our partners backed the cause that drives our organisation. We started working immediately and together we have been helping families return to their homes. At Habitat for Humanity we thank our local partners, who leveraged local funds from Habitat for Humanity International’s risk management fund,” said Gina Vera, Habitat Dominicana Resource Development and Communications manager.

Most of the damage was to the roofs and walls of the homes, which are mainly made of palm board. In line with the organisation’s policies for prioritising vulnerable groups and its technical and construction logistics, priority was given to households headed by women, pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with physical or mental disabilities, households with unaccompanied minors, children under 5 or elderly people over 65.

The organisation plans to continue with further projects with partners who join in, to keep empowering families and preparing safer, resilient buildings for more comfortable living.

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About Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic.

Habitat for Humanity is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation working so that everyone has a decent place to live, through programmes focused on housing microfinance, risk reduction and disaster response www.habitatdominicana.org

Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic empowers families to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Since it began its work in 1986, the organisation has delivered more than 40,328 housing solutions and made a difference in the lives of around 201,640 people.

Habitat Dominicana helps the country improve the living conditions of families affected by the qualitative and quantitative housing deficit.

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