10 heartwarming stories of hope and “sweet equity” from Haiti
PIGNON, Haiti — If you know the basics of how The Fuller Center for Housing operates, you likely know that one of the main requirements of our homeowner partner families is “sweat equity.”
Basically, it means that our partner families are required to work alongside our volunteers in whatever way they are capable. This increases not only their personal investment in the building of the home, but it also enhances their sense of pride and ownership.
But have you heard of “sweet equity”? We hadn’t, either, until recently. It comes to us in a literally sweet story of hope from Pignon, Haiti, where our determined operations leader Geral Joseph continues to accomplish miracles.
Of the 320 Fuller Center homes built in the troubled Caribbean nation, 140 are in the community of Pignon, well north of the chaotic capital of Port-au-Prince. It has become a beacon of hope in a country whose people desperately need it.
Besides the sweat equity of the local homeowner families, our team on the ground has also taken the opportunity to train and employ local laborers, providing much-needed jobs. This past summer, we launched a fundraising campaign to build five homes and train 20 laborers.
Thanks to a couple of generous matching gifts, our loyal supporters far exceeded our goal — with 10 homes completed and six more being started now.
“Geral and the Fuller Center Pignon team have not been facing easy circumstances, to say the least,” Fuller Center Vice President of International Programs Ryan Iafigliola said. “With all that Haiti faces, we are blessed to be able to connect faithful supporters with the program of honest, well-intentioned Haitians. It’s providing a place of light and hope amidst it all.”
In this new photo essay, meet 10 families who have been extended a hand-up out of poverty housing conditions in Pignon, beginning with our story of “sweet equity.”
While Geral Joseph leads The Fuller Center’s work on the ground in Pignon, he is perhaps best known — and deeply loved — for his role as administrator of a local school. Through that work, he has seen what we’ve long known: children do better in school when they have a simple, decent place to live.
Geral has witnessed many dire living conditions over the years, but one visit last year brought him to tears. The family of taxi driver Pedro, farmer and teacher Yviona, and their two children — Pedro Jr. (10) and Laura (7), both students at Geral’s school — were living in a shack so poor that Geral said a large tree might have provided better shelter. The structure was frequently flooded with rainwater and mosquitoes, and Pedro said he was ashamed of the conditions and heartbroken to hear his children crying at night.
That’s when Laura proposed a sweet deal.
“Mr. Geral, are you going to build a good house for us?” she asked. “If you do, I will bring you some candy.”
Through tears, Geral replied, “Absolutely.”
Today, the family is safe in a beautiful new home — and Laura kept her promise, bringing Geral a handful of candy to school. When he asked how she liked her new home, her answer meant more than any reward.
“I sleep better, and we are happier,” she said. “And now my friends can visit.”
Nancie and Jeff were planning to build a home for Nancie’s mother and disabled sister in Port-au-Prince, but gangs burned it down because Jeff is a police officer and viewed as an enemy of their criminal activity. Nancie fled to her hometown of Pignon with their two children, her mother, and her sister, while Jeff remains in Port-au-Prince facing ongoing danger. In Pignon, Nancie began a new career as a nurse.
When the family first arrived, they were living in unhealthy conditions, with muddy floors, shattered windows, and broken doors. Today, they are safe and secure.
“My children are now happy and proud to show their new home to their classmates,” Nancie told us.
Mikerl and Renette’s story is all too common in Haiti today. They fled the danger of Port-au-Prince with their 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. Fortunately, Renette knew of one place where local leaders were building both homes and hope — her hometown of Pignon.
The family rented a tiny two-room house without a bathroom. Mikerl, a math teacher, and Renette, a clothes seller, lacked the resources to build a home of their own until Fuller Center supporters extended a hand-up.
“I’m glad that we can now raise our children in a clean, safe, and peaceful place,” Mikerl told us.
Tifrere is a farmer, and his wife Chouchoute earns income selling food, but it wasn’t enough for them to improve their living conditions on their own. They lived in a fragile shack with their 34-year-old daughter Nadine, a teacher, and their 3-year-old grandson Jodlin. The structure offered little protection from the elements, lacked a safe kitchen, and had no latrine.
Life has changed dramatically in their new home. “We are much happier now,” Chouchoute told us, “and, importantly, we are healthier.”
Rene, a farmer, and his wife Nadia, a coffee seller, spent years hoping to replace the 172-square-foot shack where they raised their two 9-year-old children without a place to bathe or cook. The family walked downtown to use a private latrine, and the children were often sick with colds, flu, or mosquito-related illness.
Today, the family is thriving in a safe, healthy home. “Now we are happy,” Nadia told us. “We will continue to pray for The Fuller Center for Housing to keep changing lives the way it has changed ours.”
Nosier is a food seller, while her husband John works as a farmer and motorcycle taxi driver. Before receiving a hand-up from Fuller Center supporters, they raised their three sons in a home passed down through Nosier’s family — the same home in which she was born. Over time, the structure deteriorated, with a leaking roof that led to muddy walls and floors.
“It was our dream to live in a clean, dry environment so our children could sleep safely when it rains,” Nosier said. “We kept faith that God had a plan. We thank God and The Fuller Center’s supporters for this new home.”
Diane sells vegetables, and her husband Noel is a farmer. Together, they raised their four children and a grandson in an unsafe shack until they received a hand-up to help build their dream home. Their eldest son, Denson, now a teacher, prayed for a home that reflected how hard his parents worked to support his education.
“It made me sad to live in such conditions knowing all the sacrifices my parents made,” he said. Today, Denson and his family take pride in a home that provides a solid foundation for the next generation.
Rosina is a food seller, and her husband Edrece works as a motorcycle mechanic. They raised their two sons and two daughters in a muddy shack plagued by mosquitoes.
“Only God knows what The Fuller Center has done for me,” Edrece told us. “Now I am not afraid of rain, mosquitoes, or dust — and my wife loves me more.” Thanks to supporters, this hard-working family now lives in a safe, happy home.
Noel is a teacher at one of the best elementary schools in Pignon, and her husband Daniel is a motorcycle taxi driver. They rented a small two-room home while saving to purchase a small plot of land, hoping to build a decent home where they could raise their 1-year-old fraternal twins, Benita and Benito.
With help from Fuller Center supporters, that hope has become reality. Still, Noel knows many families in Pignon are waiting for their own hand-up. “We are very happy with our new home,” she said. “I just pray that The Fuller Center can continue changing more lives.”
The thriving Fuller Center operation in Pignon is a symbol of hope — and that hope is needed now more than ever. That is especially true for people like 68-year-old Magarette, a seller of used clothes who lives with her two adult sons and her 10-year-old grandson.
After gangs murdered her husband in the town of Mirebalais, the family fled to Pignon and took refuge in a flimsy, unhealthy shack. Today, they are safe in a decent home.
“I lost everything in Mirebalais,” Magarette told us. “I know my husband is looking down from Heaven now with joy.”
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One Comment
My heart is warmed and thankful to meet these families. Fuller Center does God’s loving with the help of many!