Since the earthquake in southern Haiti, we have received a lot of interest from news and industry organizations. And while it can be exciting to get the attention, we have been very intentional about not “selling” ourselves to somehow benefit financially from the earthquake. For in truth (and as we’ve said on numerous occasions) we are not a disaster-relief organization.
Our focus is long term, sustainable change through skill development in the construction trades, economic development through jobs in the construction industry, and bringing earthquake-resistant homes to the housing market - particularly to those who need them the most. Thus we are working hard to prevent innocent lives being lost to the next natural disaster in Haiti.
And our message is resonating. People who want to really help Haiti for the long term recognize that better skilled workers, more jobs, and safer housing is the best way to a better future for the people of Haiti. The future of Haiti is Haitian - and a stronger Haiti should be (and is) in the hands of Haitian men and women with the skills to build structures resilient to natural disasters of any kind.
This moment has given us the opportunity to share with the world our story and our mission - and how that mission will bring about long-term, sustainable change in the lives of our students, our alumni, their families, and their communities.
Keith and Sherm were invited to host a roundtable discussion at the Tilt-up Concrete Association Annual Convention in St. Louis:
Here’s a sample of some of the stories being told about our mission:
“Extollo Bringing Tilt-up Construction Technology to Haiti,” Tilt-up Today, August 26, 2021
http://72.167.124.155/tilt-uptoday/2021/08/26/extollo-bringing-tilt-up-construction-technology-to-haiti/
“How to help Haiti now: 12+ charities on the frontlines,“ National Christian Foundation
EWTN News Nightly - 8/18/2021, Haiti Left in Devastation Following 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake
ABC7 Nightly News - 8/20/2021
Search for post on 8/20/2021 - has video segment featuring Extollo’s work in Haiti
And interesting articles about other organizations involved in construction in Haiti
Build Health International
Build Change
Other articles of interest
'We Know Haiti.' After 2010 Debacle, Diaspora Wants Bigger Earthquake Aid Role: https://www.wlrn.org/news/2021-08-24/we-know-haiti-after-2010-debacle-diaspora-wants-bigger-earthquake-aid-role
‘There will always be earthquakes.’ Haiti town on fault line wants to rebuild differently https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article253750603.html
Great quote: “If the international community really wants to help, Patrick Pierre said, “they can come teach Haitians another way to build that’s appropriate for earthquakes and even tsunamis.”
Rebuilding Haiti with bamboo and hemp https://thehill.com/opinion/international/569849-rebuilding-haiti-with-bamboo-and-hemp
Here’s what makes earthquakes so devastating in Haiti https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/heres-what-makes-earthquakes-so-devastating-in-haiti?fbclid=IwAR28cFayhextkcf58G9wn6AHHOyAqB74UCP4hy9aw6fteV3Y2MzMtymxVhI
Quote: “Both quakes are part of Haiti’s long history of shakes, which results from the island nation’s position at the edge of the slowly shifting Caribbean plate. The movements build stresses in a network of fractures that crisscross the island, which occasionally release pent-up stress in ground-rattling earthquakes. While the region’s quakes are not the most powerful in the world, their deadliness is magnified by Haiti’s abundance of concrete and masonry buildings that were not built to withstand earthquakes.”