Stories from the field
Beneficiaries given tools and material to paint their new homes
By Nicole Robicheau, Canadian Red Cross delegate in Haiti
Marie Clairimon, 39, lost her home in the devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010. She was inside her house, washing clothes with one of her five children in her arms when she felt the ground shaking. Suddenly the roof was falling and I had to dive to the ground to cover my child, she said.
Clairimon said she couldn’t believe her luck when Canadian Red Cross workers came around and told her she was eligible for a new shelter. Her new home is one of more than 4,100 shelters built by the Canadian Red Cross so far in Haiti.
When families are handed their new home they are given the chance to paint them. It protects the wood and engages the community, says Janet Porter, senior shelter program delegate. It gives people the chance to participate in the process because they get to give the shelter their own flavour and truly make it their own.
The Canadian Red Cross distributes 15 litres of colour paint and 11 litres of primer to shelter recipients. They can choose the colour they want from six choices, are given brushes and rollers and are taught how to paint. Clairimon’s 18-year-old son Stanley Edmond helped paint his mother’s new home in Leogane. She hopes with his newfound painting skills, he’ll be able to find a job painting other homes in the community.
