Phase One of Reconstruction at Grace Children's Hospital Began June 2

Phase 1 of Grace Children’s Hospital Reconstruction Began June 2nd

Kalamazoo, Mich. June 2, 2010—International Child Care, USA is pleased to announce the formation of plans to begin rebuilding Grace Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Relief and Reconstruction office will oversee demolition and reconstruction of GCH.

The R&R office is overseen by an international board comprised of members from Canada, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the United States, and was opened to begin to address the new challenges that ICC Haiti faces and to channel the outpouring of support appropriately.

After initial medical needs in the community were addressed, ICC has begun to focus on the massive process of rebuilding and repairing Grace Children’s Hospital, and casting a vision that will strengthen GCH’s position as a leading health services provider in recovering Haiti.

The first phase of the rebuilding effort will focus on the demolition of the buildings on the GCH campus which were destroyed by the January 12 earthquake, as well as the construction of transitional facilities. An aftershock during the month of May caused the collapse of one severely damaged building, which had been slated for demolition. No one was injured, but demolition of the remaining condemned buildings must commence as soon as possible.

The plan to rebuild developed by the International Relief and Reconstruction Office seeks to leverage the great interest of service-minded North American volunteers, as well as the skilled and under-employed Haitian workforce. North American volunteers will be invited to participate in the efforts to demolish the destroyed buildings on the campus by visiting Haiti with properly equipped work crews; visitors will be required to pay their own travel expenses and provide funding to employ local laborers to work alongside them at a ratio of at least 3 Haitians for every one North American. The demolition phase should last about 8 weeks, from June 1, 2010 to July 30, 2010.

Haitians employed by ICC Haiti in these efforts will receive a fair wage, appropriate work clothing, meals during the work day, and health education classes designed in conjunction with ICC’s mission to improve the health and well-being of Haitian families. North American volunteers visiting ICC projects will receive culture and language lessons while Haitian workers are participating in the health classes. 

More details about the reconstruction project and how that individuals and organizations can become involved with the recovery of Grace Children’s Hospital can be obtained by calling 269-382-9960.