Haiti Earthquake; Help Rebuild Labeille & Duperon

My name is Schneither and I am looking to raise money for victims of the earthquake that hit Haiti on August 14, 2021. 

A little background on me.. On January 12, 2010 I survived the earthquake in Port au Prince, Haiti, but hundreds of thousands of other Haitians did not make it. I was in my school classroom for the first day back for the new year when the earthquake hit and the building started shaking. Before I knew what was going on the building collapsed on me. I closed my eyes, expected to take my last breath, and prayed to God to save me. Then a hole in the ceiling opened up and I was able to jump out of the hole and go into the street. I remember saying to people in the street that there were other students in the building and asked them to help. I was in shock and the school building was flattened like a pancake. I walked home covered in dust and did not realize initially what happened. On my way home I saw collapsed buildings, people crying and some people running, dead bodies and wounded people.

Port au Prince, especially Delmas was in chaos. That night my family and I slept outside, as well as everyone else in the community. We gathered in an open field and slept under the dark night. We were scared of sleeping in our houses because our homes were no longer safe and there continued to be aftershocks. We were also scared sleeping outside of the possibility that the ground could open up. We slept on sheets and mattresses that we brought outside and not only were we scared for the aftershocks we were also scared about rain. This is because everything we brought outside would have gotten wet and we would not have had a place to sleep and would have to stand through the night. Luckily, the first time it rained most of us had secured tents or tarps from donations.

The reason I share this is because I understand what the people in Les Cayes are going through right now. The shock of being in an earthquake, the dust, the rubble, the loss of life, the smells, seeing injured people. Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Grace hit Haiti right after the earthquake on August 14 and I saw videos of people outside in the rain standing and huddling under sheets and tarps which is what we feared back in 2010. So many people have lost their homes, food and water are scarce and unfortunately many communities have not gotten help. I am very familiar with the south of Haiti because this is where my mom and dad’s family came from.

When Hurricane Matthew hit in 2016, I was able to raise money through GoFundMe to help some family that suffered loss. I also held a community meeting where over 100 people attended and created a program that gave residents in the rural communities of Labeille and Duperon goats and pigs and funds to buy trees. I wanted it to be sustainable so when the animals had babies they were passed on to other families.

My goal is to continue to work in the communities of Labeille and Duperon and help people that lost their homes or had damage to their homes from the earthquake. These are very rural areas in the community of Chantal, Les Cayes. I would like to bring a Haitian construction team to these communities and fix and rebuild homes that were destroyed. My contacts on the ground are keeping me updated on a daily basis and these communities have not had any government support yet. If there are any funds left over it will go towards food and water for the most vulnerable. The community has already organized themselves with a list of those who need help the most. The communities of Labeille and Duperon are in desperate need and would really appreciate your support.

We will keep this page updated to be transparent so everyone can see how the funds are being used in the community. We thank you in advance for your support! - Schneither