Sustainable reconstruction of earthquake and hurricane resistant permanent houses in Gressier The Haitian government estimates that 222,517 people died, 300,600 were wounded and approximately 3 million have been affected by the earthquake, including 1.8 million who have lost their homes and are in need of shelter. Around 1,301,491 are the number of internally displaced people living in spontaneous/organized settlements and more than 600,000 have been displaced outside the earthquake affected areas. And according to the United Nations le number of collapsed and damages houses rise 188,383.
Whereas Port au Prince shows a total damage of about 15 percent of the houses, the proportion of destructed houses increases alongside the Northern cost in the direction of Léogâne, the epicenter od the earthquake. Upper Petit Boucan, one of three sections in the commune of Gressier, is located in the mountains about 25 kilometers West of Port au Prince and 10 kilometers East of Léogâne, which is considered as the most affected area with 95% of the houses completely destroyed. 
The section of Petit Boucan has about 18.000 inhabitants and measures eight kilometers from the North to the South. In the North Petit Boucan is facing the sea, while in the South the section’s terrain is climbing up to 750 meters above sea level. Whereas the North at the main road is a semi urban area with good accessibility, the upper part of Petit Boucan is a rural mountainous area and is only accessible through unpaved feeder roads and riverbeds
After the earthquake of January 12 Caritas Switzerland engaged in emergency aid projects in the earthquake affected areas in Gressier and Léogâne as well as in projects in Gonaïves and les Cayes for the displaced persons. During the emergency phase the strong ties to the local communities and programming experience in Gressier was particularly shown by the partner ITECA (Institut Technique d’Animation Communitaire), who runs a training centre for agricultural development since over 30 years in Gressier. Since February 2010, Caritas Switzerland engaged therefore in a close dialogue with ITECA on a reconstruction project for private houses in the most remote and rural areas of Petit Boucan.
To evaluate the needs of the community, Caritas Switzerland and ITECA have engaged in a housing assessment in upper Petit Boucan and identified 1.700 families in the mountainous area who have lost their houses in the earthquake. Both organisations will carry out a pilot phase in a first step which involves the construction of 100 houses (of which 10 will be covered by the CAFOD/DEC-funded components) and complementary infrastructure. Then the pilot phase will be analyzed to evaluate the house types as well as the construction process and the logistics in the field. This is vital for a realistic planning and to define the best strategy for the consecutive large scale construction phases for the remaining 1.600 households (of which 135 will be covered by the CAFOD/DEC-funded components). The attached proposal and budget consider the total of 145 houses that are funded by CAFOD/DEC.
During the implementation of the pilot phase, Caritas Switzerland and ITECA will be continuously evaluating the project and draw up best practices and lessons learned. With the experiences gained during the project the partners will be working out the follow up intervention for the reconstruction for the remaining 1.600 houses in the area, which is scheduled to start in the beginning of 2011.
The reconstruction of houses in Petit Boucan will improve the quality of life of the population by providing them seismic proof houses while they are rebuilding their live. It is in line with CAFOD strategy in Haiti showed in the outcome 3 of the programme framework.