Haitian living in Brazil sells book to finance housing back in Haiti

Haitian engineer Jac-Ssone Alerte wants to place the knowledge he acquired in Brazil—where he has lived since 2008—at the service of his country. Graduated from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), he spearheads an academic project aimed at supporting the construction of affordable housing in Haiti. To finance his project, a campaign was launched in which a book is sold to collaborators.

Entitled (Re)construindo um sonho—“(Re)building a dream,” in a literal English translation—the book brings the engineer’s idea and history. “Each copy sold represents one more brick,” he said.

The project includes the construction of houses in the community where Jac-Ssone was born: the district of Don de L’amitié, in the small city of Duchity, to the west of Port-au-Prince. The place suffered the impact of the earthquake in 2010, and was subsequently devastated by hurricane Matthew, in 2016.

The idea is to apply in Haiti a technique called soil-cement, which has been studied for a few years at the UFRJ as a sustainable, low-cost alternative to conventional methods used in the construction industry.

In January, Jac-Ssone Alerte told Agência Brasil that he had acquired a plot of land along with his father, where the Vila Marie Celiane Alexis will be erected, named in honor of his late mother. The initiative is supported by local leaders, and a pre-screening stage has been conducted to choose the first 15 people to be benefited by the program. They come from families who lost their homes after the hurricane.

Under the project, buildings are to be safe and resistant to earthquakes and strong winds, and the need for enhanced housing policies emphasized. In Alerte’s view, the impact of environmental tragedies is made all the more severe by fragile building structures. The 2010 earthquake swept the country, leaving 200 thousand dead. Hurricane Matthew, in turn, claimed over a thousand lives.

The construction will also take into account the projections made by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the region. This means that housing will be prepared for hot days and heat waves, ensuring the well-being of residents.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira