Our Impact
We rebuilt school infrastructure following the Earthquake in Papette, Haiti in 2010.
Ecole Mixte Wesleyenne after the Earthquake
2010 was a devastating year for the people of Haiti because a large-scale earthquake hit the southwest of Port-au-Prince in January. The aftershocks continued to occur for days after, making life challenging for Haitians. Among the many buildings that were razed to the ground was Ecole Mixte Wesleyenne, a high school in the town of Papette, Haiti.
The catastrophic earthquake severely damaged the school’s infrastructure by partially destroying the classrooms and campus perimeter wall.
The school staff did not want the children to miss out on their education or get injured during the aftershocks. Therefore, temporary outdoor classrooms were created. Children would sit outside surrounded by the debris of their classrooms and the school’s perimeter wall.
These ‘outside classrooms’ helped continue education, but the decimated wall surrounding the campus posed the greatest danger for children. The wall was the only thing separating the school grounds from the main road with heavy vehicular traffic.
Some children started using the main road to enter school as there was no boundary stopping them. They would run across the traffic, risking their lives to save time on their way to school. The destroyed perimeter wall had become a major safety concern for Ecole Mixte Wesleyenne.
The Lalanne Foundation Addresses Safety Issues
The safety of those school children was at risk, and we wanted to help them however we could. The Lalanne Foundation expanded its focus to disaster relief in 2010. We started helping schools with infrastructure repairs and supplies. Ecole Mixte Wesleyenne was one of the schools we helped repair following the earthquake.
We partnered with Bethany Church and four other local churches to raise money for the school. Additionally, we received support from Artesia Christian Homes and the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team.
After raising funds, we provided cinder blocks to reconstruct the perimeter wall. Our team also helped transport the blocks to the campus and hire local workers for the reconstruction. We were able to rebuild the security wall of the school and provide a source of income for local construction workers. The total cost of the repair was approximately $12,000.
Donate to Rebuild Haiti
Damage from earthquakes in Haiti is not an uncommon sight. 2010 was not the last time Haiti saw extreme damage—as you know, earthquakes continue to shake the world of Haitians. We can’t help them recover from the recurrent trauma, but we can help with the reconstruction of their homes and schools.